New England Rivalry in Progress
by Adam Reich
If we were to start a debate as to which is the greatest rivalry in sports, most would say Red Sox-Yankees, while others might suggest North Carolina-Duke basketball, maybe even Michigan-Ohio State football. But while these classic rivalries remain a constant fixture in sports, new match-ups develop every day. And over the course of the past three years, a heated rivalry has been born between Boston University and Vermont.
The rivalry escalated to national status two years ago, when the Catamounts defeated the Terriers on their own home-court, 56-55, to win the America East Championship and earn the school’s first ever berth into the NCAA Tournament. In that game, guard David Hehn hit an off-balanced fadeaway jumper with 5.6 seconds left, breaking the hearts of BU students, while sending the Vermont faithful into a court-storming frenzy.
Last season the rivalry increased another notch when Boston University walked into Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vermont with the regular-season championship on the line. The Terriers ran all over the Catamounts that day, winning 80-70, and in the process snapped Vermont’s 13-game winning streak and handed the Catamounts their first conference loss at home in nearly two years.
These days, Boston University and Vermont are the perennial powers in America East basketball. Over the course of the past three seasons, these rivals are the only teams to represent the America East in the NCAA Tournament. They have been the top two seeds in the conference tournament each year, and including this season, have dominated conference play, compiling a combined 87-18 record (an .829 win percentage). Both teams will enter Sunday’s game undefeated in conference play at 5-0.
The first thing to look at when evaluating this game is how will BU defend Taylor Coppenrath, the nation’s leading scorer at 26.4 ppg. We all know Coppenrath will get double-teamed whenever he touches the ball, right? Not necessarily. BU coach Dennis Wolff has often times in the past played Vermont’s big man straight up. For the most part, the difficult assignment has fallen on the shoulders of Rashad Bell. And although Bell’s athletic ability has made things tough on Coppenrath, Bell has also been prone to foul trouble. Rather than see Bell on Coppenrath, junior forward Kevin Gardner might get the call. Gardner, who has played well recently, is not as quick and athletic as Bell, but does offer a more physical body to bump Coppenrath off the block. If this is the case, you might see Coppenrath attempt to face up Gardner and score off the dribble.
Defensively, BU creates match-up problems as well. The Terriers boast a pair of lightning-quick guards in Chaz Carr and Shaun Wynn. Carr, who has been BU’s most consistent player and go-to-guy, can dissect the defense with the dribble-drive and can also knock down the three. Wynn, creates problems for opposing guards with his excellent athleticism. Sophomore Etienne Brower has come into his own as of late, while freshman guard Matt Wolff has provided instant offense off the bench with his deadly long-range shooting.
Exploiting match-up problems will certainly be a big factor in the outcome of the game. But there are a few other things to watch for as well: Can Vermont’s freshmen, Ryan Schnieder and Josh Duell, handle BU’s defensive pressure? How many open looks will T.J. Sorrentine get against Shaun Wynn? Will BU’s deep bench wear out the thin Vermont front line? And how well will the Terriers contend with a deafening Vermont crowd?
As of right now, the road to the America East Championship goes through Burlington. But whoever wins on Sunday will have the early edge in attaining the conference’s top seed come March.
