{"id":46542,"date":"2025-02-21T15:57:21","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T20:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=46542"},"modified":"2025-02-21T16:00:30","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T21:00:30","slug":"for-bu-mens-basketball-theres-no-place-like-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2025\/02\/21\/for-bu-mens-basketball-theres-no-place-like-home\/","title":{"rendered":"For BU Men\u2019s Basketball, There\u2019s No Place Like Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jason Asvestopoulos<\/span><\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

In back-to-back games, Terrier fans have had to hold their breath until the final whistle. After an exhilarating double overtime win against the reigning PL champions Colgate Raiders, BU once again entangled themselves in one more toe-to-toe contest. Highlighted by clutch buckets from Miles Brewster and Kyrone Alexander\u2019s game-winner, an injury-ravaged Terrier team pulled through again and sent everyone home happy. But Wednesday\u2019s victory over Loyola Maryland was more than just another win.<\/p>\n

This was the tenth (!) straight victory at home for the Terriers, marking their longest home-win streak in 27 years. Despite their struggles on the road, where they\u2019ve gone 2-11 this season, Case Gymnasium has now blossomed to a modern-day fortress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel invincible at home,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cThat\u2019s just an added boost of confidence, although we try not to harp on it too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

How has such success come about? Well, this guy has seemingly been in the center of everything good that happens for BU on the court. Alexander showed great promise after last year’s campaign, where he started all 33 games as a freshman and finished inside the team\u2019s top four performers in every category that comes to mind.<\/p>\n

He ended the season second in total points behind Brewster, and this year he\u2019s taken that scoring torch even further. After Wednesday, Alexander now has five 20+ point games for the season, while he only recorded one in 2023-2024. His versatility as a three-level scorer, but also his defensive\/rebounding presence have made him one of the most prolific players in the Patriot League.<\/p>\n

Yet, this group\u2019s form doesn\u2019t rely on only one of them, nor does it only stem from on-court execution.<\/p>\n

It’s natural for a younger team like BU\u2019s current squad to feel more comfortable at home. When asked about how this familiarity with the court has translated to wins, players continued to emphasize one word: routine.<\/p>\n

With games almost every Wednesday and Saturday, and road trips mixed in throughout the season, establishing a routine might look a bit tricky. But with the help of his coaching staff, Jones has built a weekly calendar that covers all aspects of a player\u2019s training.<\/p>\n

This plan covers multiple elements, and balances out the physical, mental, and film aspects of basketball. Mondays and Fridays are tougher on the players\u2019 bodies, whereas Tuesdays and Thursdays focus more on non-physical improvement. However, this routine hasn\u2019t become the sole driver for BU\u2019s recent home heater.<\/p>\n

Earlier in 2025, athletic director Drew Marrochello announced the completion of a $13 million project that covered a complete renovation of Case Center. From a new lounge to equipment room, from new coaches\u2019 offices to film rooms, these new facilities have offered athletes fresh spaces to hang around. And the Terrier men\u2019s basketball team has taken full advantage of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we are a bit more together, just because we spend more time around each other,\u201d Ben Defty said.<\/p>\n

The first-year freshman forward from Germany mentioned that the guys spend a lot more time there than their old locker room, doing things like homework or even playing ping pong.<\/p>\n

Alexander also expressed great appreciation for this space renewal. He claims that thinking about \u201cthese nice facilities\u201d and the donors who helped make this possible translates to boosting his on-court performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo represent what we get, that\u2019s added motivation,\u201d Alexander said.<\/p>\n

While this incredible trend has caught our eyes, it doesn\u2019t tell the full story. BU hasn\u2019t won a road game since December 29th, in a 59-56 match against Maine. They hold the worst record in the league away from home, and currently sit in the 5th spot in the PL. But even if things look black and white, coach Jones sees more gray than others.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s no way you do what we’ve done, winning 10 straight at home and not have a level of toughness and fortitude,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just need to have a breakthrough.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jason Asvestopoulos In back-to-back games, Terrier fans have had to hold their breath until the final whistle. After an exhilarating double overtime win against the reigning PL champions Colgate Raiders, BU once again entangled themselves in one more toe-to-toe contest. Highlighted by clutch buckets from Miles Brewster and Kyrone Alexander\u2019s game-winner, an injury-ravaged Terrier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24716,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1023,1024,1026,1027,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46542"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24716"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46542"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46544,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46542\/revisions\/46544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}