Recap: George Washington 70 – Boston University 57

I am a big sports fan, but I don’t attend a ton of games each year, so I figure I might as well write up some notes from each game I go to. It might not be the most exciting stuff in the world for all of you, but hey, you can skip this post and head to the next. I’m sure Rainer has something interesting to say.

Anyway, onto the game…

George Washington, a team that went 27-3 a year ago, is now without four starters from that team. The Colonials definitely look and play differently. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just not what anyone who pays attention to GW will recognize from the past four or five years. Actually more, because Tom Penders liked to run quite a bit as well. Instead, the team is a little slower, more deliberate in offensive sets as the backcourt is the unquestioned focus of this year’s offense. The running and gunning, fast break baskets and alley-oops were not to be seen in this game. Instead, perimeter passing and open looks on offense were the name of the game.

One thing that didn’t change: the defense. Its still is swarming, smothering and pressuring. The Colonials forced 18 turnovers and aside from some mix-ups on some switches that led to open threes by BU, the defense played great.

For BU, they are a very young team that appears set to go through a few growing pains. But, in a couple of years, they should be decent. The Terriers started three freshmen, two sophomores and the best player for them was a freshman off the bench. In a couple of years, when these guys are juniors and seniors, I fully expect BU to be competing for the America East championship. This year, they will scrap and fight, as they did against GW (cutting the lead to five with 7:36 remaining), but competing for the conference title is highly unlikely.

BU was best at crashing the offensive glass. For a team that is not particularly big, BU pulled down 12 offensive rebounds in the game (compared with six for GW), which led to multiple second-chance points.

Players to keep an eye on:

Carl Elliott, GW – The senior point guard for GW, Elliott is going to be the go-to guy and unquestioned leader on this squad after the departure of four starters from a season ago. Elliott played in control and did absolutely everything necessary for the Colonials to win this game. He played under control and his defense was superb as usual. He will be one of the best defensive players on the court every game he plays this season. He scored 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He hit all 11 free-throw attempts, pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists and had three steals as well. He was all over the court and will be the best player on this team all season.

Rob Diggs, GW – It wasn’t Maureece Rice who was the second best Colonial on the court Friday. It was Diggs. The sophomore is starting in place of injured transfer Cheyenne Moore and, if he can continue to play this way, Moore will be taking someone else’s starting spot when he returns in December or January. Diggs scored 12 points (second to Elliott), pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and had two blocks and two steals. He rarely took a bad shot and played solid on the defensive end.

Carlos Strong, BU – A freshman in his first game, Strong came off the bench and lit it from the outside. He scored 19, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. He was left open a few times and did not miss when he had an open look. While BU struggled from the field (41 percent from the field), Strong was 7-of-12 overall. I’ve got to believe he will continue to get more playing time as he appeared to be the best shooter on this young team.

Photo Source: Sports Illustrated