UConn vs. Boston University: Sunday, November 17, 12 p.m. EST
Opposition Report: Boston University
Record: 2-0 (72-69 vs Northeastern; 91-65 vs UMass-Lowell)
105.3 Offensive Efficiency (Points per 100 possessions. 100th nationally)
99.3 Defensive Efficiency (Points allowed per 100 possessions. 104th nationally)
Quick Thoughts: Entering its first season in the Patriot League, Boston University has the experience and backcourt firepower to win the league and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers are led by three seniors—point guard DJ Irving, swingman Travis Robinson and big man Dom Morris—along with promising sophomore guard Maurice Watson Jr.
Although DJ Irving and Maurice Watson are diminutive (both under 6-1), they are quick, crafty ball-handlers and have range on their jump shots. Irving is Boston’s best perimeter scorer, while Watson is the team’s best facilitator and overall playmaker. Through two games, Watson is averaging 17 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds, and his 42.5% assist percentage—the estimate of teammate field goals assisted while he was on the floor—ranks 33rd in the country. Travis Robinson is a 6-5 wing who can space the floor with terrific catch-and-shoot ability, while senior Dom Morris, a below-the-rim forward, is polished from 15-feet and in.
Boston doesn’t have an imposing post presence or dominant wing player, but the Terriers have four guys who can assume a lead role, making it difficult to key in on one particular player. Boston’s offense is most comfortable in the half court, using constant ball movement to create open driving lanes. They are not a big team; instead, they have crafty guards who can slice the defense and make things happen inside the three-point line. Boston is not much of a pick-and-roll team, as they’ve run the pick-and-roll on only 4.9 percent of their possessions this season.
Defensively, they are undersized across the board (they don’t start a player over 6-7), but they play sound team defense. Boston’s 26.8 defensive turnover percentage ranks 12th in the country, so if you’re careless with the ball, they can make you pay.
All that being said, if UConn can leverage its athleticism inside and crash the boards with conviction, the Huskies should be able to get out in transition, play their style of basketball and control the game. But if they let Boston penetrate the lane and swing the ball, things will get interesting.
Let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of Boston’s main contributors, and where the Terriers are vulnerable as a team.
Scoring Distribution: 58.9% 2-Pointers | 23.9% 3-Pointers | 17.2% Free Throws
Shot Attempt Breakdown (2 games): 48.4% Around the Basket | 41.1% Jump Shots
Key Players:
Dom Morris —19.5 PPG, 7 RPG, 80% field goal percentage
Senior, PF, 6-7, 240
Morris has a large frame (particularly a “thick trunk”), and plays the game more like a football player. He’s not very athletic or quick; instead, he embraces contact, leverages position in the paint, and is polished from 15-feet and in.
Boston tries to get Morris involved in two ways — (1) Traditional Post Ups. Last season, nearly a quarter of Morris’ shot attempts were in post up situations. He produced an above-average .829 points per possession in the post, ranking in the 60th percentile nationally. (2) The second way is Coming off screens. In fact, Morris’ most popular shot attempt last season was curling off of a screen. 27.5 percent of his possessions were in such situations, and his 1.386 points per possession ranked in the top 11 percent among all players.
Video: Morris scoring in post-up situations, Morris curling off screens
As the video shows, Morris has a soft touch around the basket. He’s a smart player, and can make plays when given space. Perhaps the length of Amida/Phil/Tyler/DeAndre could fluster him. Or, on the flip side, perhaps Morris will use his strength to try and muscle his way towards the hoop. I think his impact will depend on whether the guards can penetrate for Morris to catch the ball with space.
Maurice Watson Jr —17 PPG, 6 RPG, 6 APG, 3 SPG
Sophomore, PG, 5-10, 165
Freshman year:
16 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds vs. Rutgers
11 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds vs. Belmont
12 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds vs. Harvard
Watson is only a sophomore, and he is starting to come into his own, so it’s really tough to evaluate the full scope of Watson’s game at this point. However, this much is known: he’s a tiny 5-10 guard with good vision and ball control in both half court and transition.
This season, most of Watson’s impact has been setting teammates up and scoring inside the paint. According to Synergy Sports, 69 percent of his shots have been inside the paint this season, and only three of his 26 field goals have been 3-pointers. As mentioned before, Watson’s 42.5% assist percentage (the estimate of teammate field goals assisted while he was on the floor) ranks 33rd in the country.
Video: Watson creating for others
Video: Watson penetrating
Travis Robinson — 8 PPG, 4 RPG, 1.5 APG
Senior, SF, 6-5, 190
Last season, Robinson solidified himself as a reliable spot-up shooter. 48 percent of his baskets came in spot up situations last season, and his 1.02 points per possession on spot-ups ranked in the top 25 percent nationally.
Boston does a great job of staying patient, swinging the ball and milking the shot clock, and often times their ball movement will create an open look for Robinson. He has good length and a quick release, making it tough for defenders to alter his shot.
Video: Spot-Up Shooting last season and so far this season
DJ Irving — 6.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5 APG, 1.5 SPG
Senior, PG, 6-0, 165
Many have tabbed Irving as the pre-season Patriot League Player of the Year. He hasn’t had that type of impact through two games, but all things considered, Irving is still Boston’s leader. Although he’s a point guard, Irving is a score-first player who can create his own shot.
Irving does all of his damage in the half court. Lacking elite height (6-foot) or athleticism, he has trouble finishing around bigger defenders in transition. It’s evident in both the stats—his .901 points per possession in transition ranked in the bottom 70 percent nationally—and on film. If the defense can get back in transition and contest, Irving will struggle to finish.
Video: Transition struggles
Where Irving excels, however, is getting into a shooting groove. He shot jump shots on 76.6% of his possessions last season, by far his primary method of scoring. His .871 points per possession shooting off the dribble (77th percentile), and 1.071 points per possession in catch-and-shoot (66th percentile) were both solid marks.
Video: Off the dribble shooting
Video: Catch-and-shoot
Defenders must key in on Irving’s jump shot. If they can quickly close-out on his shot and take him out of the game, Boston will struggle to consistently produce points.
OVERALL
Boston University has won 11 of its last 14 games dating back to last season, and will come into Storrs with a “winning mindset.” Whether that mindset will translate into a victory, however, is another story. On paper, the combination of Shabazz/Boatright/DeAndre/Omar/Amida/Giffey should be able to dictate the tempo and overpower the Terriers. UConn’s all-around talent is too much for two diminutive guards (Watson, Irving) and a below-the-rim forward (Morris). If the Terriers can stay on pace early, and use their dribble-drive game to create open shots, they will compete. But if UConn plays as one cohesive unit, they have too much firepower, defensive pressure and athleticism to let Boston hang around.