TULSA, Okla. -- Making its seventh NCAA appearance in program history, Boston University will try to become the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed when the Terriers face Kansas on Friday at 6:50 p.m. EDT at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
The game, which will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs, will be televised nationally on TBS with Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter) on the call.
Boston U. (21-13), which made its last tournament appearance in 2002, earned a thrilling 56-54 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday to capture the America East title and automatic NCAA berth. Winners of 11 straight games, the Terriers have allowed just 55.8 points per game during the win streak and are holding teams to just 33 percent shooting in that stretch.
Senior swingman John Holland, the America East Player of the Year, recorded a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds against the Seawolves and earned the tournament's Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player award. The league's leading scorer (19.2 ppg), Holland currently ranks seventh all-time on the league's scoring list with 2,193 career points.
Senior Darryl Partin also provides a scoring spark for Pat Chambers' squad. The transfer from La Salle earned first-team all-conference honors this year and is averaging 14.5 points per game. An All-Championship team choice as well, Partin has eclipsed 20 points nine times this year.
Kansas (32-2), the nation's second-ranked team, won the Big XII title with an 85-73 win over Texas last week. The Jayhawks bolster one of the country's most potent offenses, ranking first in shooting percentage (.518), second in assists (17.9 apg) and fifth in scoring (82.4 ppg).
The Terriers, who are looking to become the first America East team to win an NCAA game since Vermont upset Syracuse in 2005, last won an NCAA contest in 1959 when they beat both Connecticut and Navy to advance to the Elite Eight.