Saturday, February 21st, 1:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Case Gym (1,800) -- Boston, Massachusetts. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Iona 6-5, Boston U. 6-6. Away Record: Iona 5-8, Boston U. 8-6. Neutral Record: Iona 1-2, Boston U. 0-0. Conference Record: Iona 7-9, Boston U. 9-5. Series Record: Series is tied, 2-2.

GAME NOTES: The Iona Gaels and the Boston University Terriers will do battle this afternoon in one of many BracketBuster games. Iona has been extremely inconsistent this season, and the club has lost two of its last three games to fall to 12-15 overall and 7-9 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action. The Gaels dropped a 75-60 decision to Siena on Monday and have yet to put together back-to-back wins in the month of February. As for Boston University, it has suffered three consecutive defeats to drop to 14-12 overall, including 9-5 against foes from its America East Conference. The Terriers were knocked off by Stony Brook by a 66-54 final on Wednesday, and they actually have a better record on the road this season than at home. Boston University and Iona have split four previous meetings, and the teams last squared off during the 1981-82 season.

Iona connected on only 37.5 percent of its field goal attempts in the loss to Siena on Monday, including a 4-of-15 effort from three-point range. The Gaels finished with 11 assists and 24 turnovers, and they were outscored 22-14 from the foul line. Gary Springer was the team's only player to reach double figures in scoring, as he netted 16 points in 20 minutes of action off the bench. Springer is generating 11.4 ppg this season, and it is odd that he is playing less than 22 minutes per contest considering the fact that he is clearly the most capable scorer on the roster. The Gaels are generating only 63.8 ppg, but they have managed to limit opponents to 63.9 ppg.

There are certainly more consistent scorers in the lineup for Boston University than for Iona. The Terriers are getting 17.9 ppg from John Holland, and Corey Lowe isn't far behind with his 17.1 ppg. Jake O'Brien adds 12.3 ppg to the mix, although his 39.5 percent shooting from the floor could certainly stand some improvement. Despite the efforts of those three players, the Boston University isn't an explosive offensive team, as it is averaging a modest 68.3 ppg while allowing 66.6 ppg to opponents. In the 12-point loss to Stony Brook on Wednesday, Holland scored 19 points, but his team turned the ball over 16 times and shot 38 percent from the floor.

Give the edge to the home team today, as Iona will not be able to generate enough offense to win.

Predicted Outcome

Boston University 69, Iona 63