Merrimack Plays At Boston University Saturday At 1 P.M.

BOSTON - The Merrimack men's basketball team has its shortest road trip of the season when it travels down route 93 to Boston University on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff at Case Gym,

The Warriors won the last meeting between the two schools last season, defeating the Terriers 64-61 at Lawler Arena on Dec. 13, 2024.

THE LATEST
• Road Warriors: This will be the fourth-straight game to start the season for Merrimack, and first in their own time zone. After trips to the states of South Dakota, Alabama and Texas, Merrimack will play in its home state Saturday afternoon.
• Division II transfer Ernest Shelton, who averaged 17.4 points and 4.5 rebounds for Gannon University last season, is leading the Warriors in scoring at 19.3 points a game. Shelton has back-to-back 20-point games, and has made 8 three-pointers in the last two games. He is shooting 40 percent from 3 (10-25)
• Freshman Kevair Kennedy, the Max Preps Pennsylvania HS Player of the Year, is averaging 9.0 points per game after scoring a career-high 12 points on Tuesday at Tarleton State. Kennedy added seven rebounds and two steals vs. the Texans.
• Sophomore Tye Dorset, one of two returnees who played in a  game last season for the Warriors, is third on the team in scoring at 8.7 points per game.
• #MakeChaos: Joe Gallo and Merrimack have been known for its zone defense. Focusing on moving quickly, forcing turnovers and preventing three-point shots. Last season, the Warriors ranked 15th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 64.2 points per game. The Warriors were also 7th in the nation in steals per game (9.5) and 15th in the nation in turnovers forced per game (15.1). Merrimack ranked 42nd in the nation in field goal percentage defense (41.3) and 45th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (30.9).
• The Warriors have 10 new faces as they open the 2025-26 season, with only two returning players who played in a Merrimack uniform last season.
• Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo signed a 10-year extension after leading the Warriors to a second-place finish in the MAAC regular season standings, and a berth in the MAAC semifinals. Gallo is a 2004 graduate of Merrimack, and led the transition from Division II to Division I. Since the transition to Division I, Gallo led the Warriors to a NEC tournament championship (but they weren't eligible for the NCAA Tournament), and three NEC regular season championships.
• Along with head coach Joe Gallo ('04), three other members of the coaching staff are Merrimack alums: assistant coach Micky Burtnyk ('08), assistant coach Juvaris Hayes ('20) and assistant coach Chris Mohr ('97)