Army (15-15) at Boston University (23-9)
GAME NOTES: The top overall seed in the Patriot League Tournament, the Boston University Terriers, try to continue their dominance in their first season as a member of the conference as they host the fifth-seeded Army Black Knights in the first of two semifinal matchups, this one at Agganis Arena.
Army took down defending Patriot League champion Bucknell, 72-71, on a last- minute shot Wednesday night in quarterfinal action. The Black Knights have won two straight games heading into this matchup with BU.
Boston University easily handled Lafayette Wednesday night in the quarterfinal round, 91-54. It was the third straight win for the Terriers stretching back into the regular season, and the eighth win in their last nine outings.
BU holds the edge in the all-time series with Army, 11-6. The teams met twice during the regular season, with Patriot League newcomer Boston University sweeping the season series.
The winner of this game will take on either Holy Cross or American for the tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
With 12.5 seconds left to play in regulation, Army's Kyle Wilson hit a fadeaway jump shot that lifted the Black Knights over Bucknell by a single point and advanced the team to the semifinal round of the Patriot League postseason. Wilson led his Army squad with 19 points in the contest, hitting 9-of-15 from the floor. Dylan Cox chipped in 11 points before fouling out, and Kevin Ferguson contributed 10 points with eight rebounds and five blocked shots. The Knights connected on 48.3 percent of their field goal tries in the contest.
Wilson paces Army this season in scoring, averaging a healthy 18.3 ppg on 44 percent shooting from the field. He's followed by Tanner Plomb, who nets 10.3 ppg for the Knights. Cox has dished out a team-best 87 assists on the year, adding 9.5 ppg to Army's cause. At 5.7 rpg, Ferguson tops the Knights in the category, adding a team-best 78 blocked shots to his resume. Army is scoring 72.5 ppg this season, and giving up 72.6 ppg to its opponents.
Boston University, in its first-ever Patriot League Tournament game, shot a school-record 66.1 percent from the floor to hand Lafayette an extremely one- sided defeat. The 37-point difference in the score was also the largest margin of victory for a Patriot League team in the quarterfinal round of the tournament in history. Maurice Watson Jr. led the Terriers with 21 points in the contest, dishing out eight assists and pulling down seven rebounds. D.J. Irving tallied 17 points for BU, and Travis Robinson added 14 points with five rebounds. The Terriers also connected on 47.6 percent of their 3-point tries in the win.
Watson tops the BU squad with a 13.7 ppg average on the season, netting 50.7 percent of his shot attempts from the field. Watson also notched an incredible 214 assists, which includes his eight from the quarterfinal round. Irving tallies 12.3 ppg, and Dom Morris chips in 11.1 ppg with a team-leading 6.3 rpg mark. Boston University has built a well-rounded team this season, scoring 72 ppg and allowing its opponents to score just 67.3 ppg.
Army and Boston University both have effective offenses, but it will come down to whichever defense can step up and play the role of an offense breaker. Both regular season contests between the sides were close, with BU winning in overtime in Boston and by one point on the road. The Agganis Arena home crowd will be pumped up and ready for this one, and the newest addition to the Patriot League should reach the finals by the end of the night.