Boston University Basketball 2025-2026: Patriot League, Case Gym & Complete Guide

The program's biggest recent moment: winning the 2020 Patriot League Tournament championship -- BU's first-ever PL tournament title -- and earning an NCAA Tournament bid that was cancelled due to COVID-19. The team's most famous alumnus isn't a player but a coach: Rick Pitino got his first head coaching job at BU in 1978 at age 25.

Hockey dominates BU's sports culture (5 NCAA championships, Agganis Arena sellouts), making basketball a secondary sport on campus. But Case Gym's intimate 1,800-seat setting creates a surprisingly good atmosphere for Patriot League games when it fills up.

The Patriot League consists of 10 member institutions:

The Patriot League is a Division I mid-major conference that emphasizes the student-athlete model. The league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid typically goes to the tournament champion, making the March conference tournament the season's most important games.

Why the switch mattered: The Patriot League gave BU a better geographic and institutional fit -- schools like Holy Cross, Colgate, and Bucknell are closer peers academically and athletically. BU has been competitive in the league, winning the 2022 regular season title and the 2020 tournament championship.

Why "The Roof"? The gym sits on the top level of the Case Center building, directly above Walter Brown Arena (which hosts women's ice hockey). You're literally watching basketball on the roof of the hockey rink.

The Agganis experiment: When BU joined the Patriot League in 2013, the school tried hosting conference home games at Agganis Arena (6,150 seats, primarily used for hockey and concerts). The experiment failed -- attendance was poor in the cavernous arena, and the atmosphere felt empty. The last BU basketball game at Agganis was a 77-70 loss to Holy Cross on February 28, 2015. Before the 2015-16 season, all home games moved back to Case Gym.

2024 renovations: A $13 million renovation project (funded by alumni Larry & Debi DePaulis and Ike & Candy Brown) upgraded the men's basketball team facilities within Case Center. Completed in early 2025, improvements include a state-of-the-art locker room, player lounge, nutrition station, and recovery space. The gym itself kept its 1,800-seat capacity -- the renovation focused on the behind-the-scenes player experience.

Student tip: Case Gym's intimate size actually works in the team's favor. When it's full for a big Patriot League game, the atmosphere is surprisingly intense for a 1,800-seat gym.

Key accomplishments: Jones led BU to its first-ever Patriot League Tournament championship in 2020, defeating top-seeded Colgate 64-61. He also won the 2022 regular season title (21-12, 13-5 PL). He's approaching Dennis Wolff's all-time BU wins record of 247.

Fun fact: Joe's brother James Jones is the head men's basketball coach at Yale University. The Jones brothers are one of the few sibling head-coaching pairs in Division I basketball.

BU basketball has oscillated between competitive highs and rebuilding lows in recent years:

The heartbreaker everyone remembers: The 2019-20 team was special. BU went 21-11, earned the #2 seed, and then upset #1 Colgate 64-61 to win BU's first-ever Patriot League Tournament title. They were headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 -- and then COVID-19 cancelled March Madness. That team never got its moment.

The 2023-24 semifinal collapse: BU led Lehigh by 21 points in the Patriot League semifinal at Case Gym, only to blow the lead and lose 84-79 in overtime. It was one of the most painful losses in recent program history.

Current 2025-26 season: The Terriers are in a rebuilding year at 10-15 (5-7 PL). Sophomore forward Ben Defty has emerged as the team's star, averaging 13.8 points and 6.7 rebounds with 5 double-doubles (60th nationally). He had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds against Lehigh.

BU basketball's biggest legacy isn't its players -- it's the coaches who started here.

Rick Pitino at BU (1978-1983):

• Got his first head coaching job at BU in 1978, at just 25 years old
• Compiled a 91-51 record in five seasons
• Used an aggressive full-court press that became his signature throughout his career
• Led BU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 24 years in his final season
• Later won national championships at Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013, later vacated)
• Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
• Also coached the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in the NBA

Pitino wasn't the only famous coach to cut his teeth in Boston's college basketball scene in that era. Jim Calhoun (Northeastern, then UConn -- 3 national titles) and Gary Williams (American, then Maryland -- 1 national title) were all coaching in Boston-area programs in the late 1970s and early 1980s. BU's program was part of a remarkable coaching incubator.

Other notable coaches:

• Dennis Wolff (1994-2009): Longest-tenured BU coach, 247 career wins
• Mike Jarvis: Coached at BU before moving to George Washington and St. John's

BU basketball has been played since the early 1900s. Here are the program's key historical markers:

NCAA Tournament appearances (7): 1959, 1983, 1988, 1990, 1997, 2002, 2011

• Plus the 2020 bid that was earned but cancelled due to COVID-19
• All-time NCAA Tournament record: 2-7

• America East era tournament titles: 1983, 1988, 1990, 1997, 2002, 2011
• Patriot League Tournament title: 2020
• Patriot League regular season title: 2022

• Independent / various affiliations (pre-1979)
• America East Conference (1979-2013)
• Patriot League (2013-present)

• Holy Cross -- The most intense basketball rivalry in the Patriot League, with its own Wikipedia page spanning multiple sports
• Colgate -- Made personal by the dramatic 2020 championship game
• Bucknell, Lehigh, Navy -- Perennial Patriot League contenders

Let's be honest about BU basketball's place in the campus sports hierarchy.

Hockey is king at BU. That's not a knock on basketball -- it's just reality:

BU is a Hockey East school -- men's ice hockey is the flagship sport with 5 NCAA championships, 32 Beanpot titles, and more NHL draft picks than any other university. Hockey games at Agganis Arena are events. Basketball games at Case Gym are... more intimate.

But here's the upside: If you actually go to basketball games, you'll find that the small Case Gym setting creates a fun, accessible atmosphere. You can sit close to the court, the players are approachable, and during big Patriot League games, the energy is surprisingly good. It's a different vibe than the massive hockey spectacle -- more like a high school gym with a Division I product on the floor.

If you're a BU student thinking about catching a basketball game, here's what you need to know:

Getting there: Case Gym is in the Case Center building at 285 Babcock Street. Enter through the main Case Center entrance and head upstairs. It's about a 5-minute walk from the BU Central T stop on the Green Line B branch.

Tickets: Student admission is free with a BU student ID. No ticket needed -- just show your ID at the door. General admission tickets for non-students are inexpensive ($5-10 range).

When to go:

• Best atmosphere: Patriot League rivalry games (Holy Cross, Colgate, Lehigh) and Senior Night. Case Gym actually fills up for these.
• Easiest to attend: Midweek non-conference games -- you'll practically have the place to yourself.
• January-February is Patriot League play, which is when games matter most.

Food: There's no concession stand comparable to Agganis. Eat before you go -- plenty of options on Comm Ave within walking distance.

Honest take: Most BU students will go to 0-2 basketball games during their four years. If you go to more than that, you'll become a recognizable face in the crowd. The players and coaching staff genuinely appreciate student support.

'I went to a basketball game at Case Gym on a whim during my sophomore year and was surprised how fun it was. The gym is tiny -- you're right on top of the court. The players could hear us heckling. Totally different vibe than hockey at Agganis, but honestly kind of better in its own way.' - Junior, CAS

'Let's be real -- hockey runs this campus. But if you actually make it to a basketball game, especially against Holy Cross or Colgate, Case Gym gets loud. It's a hidden gem that most BU students never discover.' - Senior, Questrom

'I was a basketball fan in high school and was disappointed when I realized BU basketball is basically a side note compared to hockey. But the Patriot League games are competitive, the team plays hard, and Case Gym during a close game is genuinely exciting. Just don't expect Cameron Indoor.' - Sophomore, COM

'The COVID year still hurts. We won the Patriot League Tournament for the first time ever and were going to the NCAA Tournament. Then everything got cancelled. That team deserved its moment.' - Alum, Class of 2021