This win won't pump up BC's RPI, but I think it was an important win on a few fronts. First it evens BC's conference record to 3-3. I also thought that it was important that BC reacted differently when they wasted a big lead. Unlike Georgia Tech, this time when BC fell apart, they put together another run and controlled down the stretch. Other thoughts follow. Leave yours in the comments.
Likes
-- Offensive rebounds. This is an obvious one as BC dominated the boards. Part of it was a good effort on BC and part was NC State playing very passively.
-- Rice's even performance. As I've said, this has been a weird year for Rice. Today was different and more inline with what we all expect. He ran the show but instead of waiting for the second half, he decided to attack in the first half. His aggressiveness helped the entire offense. His D was better today than it has been. And no stupid fouls.
-- Raji playing through pain. I don't think people realize how banged up Corey is. His lower body is heavily wrapped and he is limping when he is not running the court. But that didn't stop him. 30 minutes, 12 boards and some good moves running the break...the guy is showing a lot of heart.
Dislikes
-- The transition D during NC State's comeback. Little effort and some stupid fouls too.
-- Trapani's jumpers. They were way off today. Not sure what was wrong.
Next up, another winnable game against Maryland. Let's hope today's performance is an indicator of things to come.
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21 comments:
Add to the "likes" that Reggie Jackson is really showing up. He's as dynamic a sixth man as we have seen since Sidney. He runs the floor, defends well, can handle the ball allowing Rice to roam, can make things happen when he puts the ball on the floor, and he plays with heart. We seem to become a better team when he is in the game and he was playing in only his sixth ACC contest. I know I am looking forward to see what he becomes.
This Maryland game on Tuesday is huge, to put it mildly. It's a game we can win and have to win if we are going to be a team that makes any sort of waves this season
You know I always have to give my two cents. I've been very critical of the Eagles this year, but it comes from the experience of watching guys like Bell, Abrams, Smith, and Dudley give their all on a game to game basis. That said, BC showed up today and worked. They had a slight lapse at the start of the second half, but quickly snapped out of it. I have not seen an effort like this many times this year (see NC). Rebounding was MUCH better, and for the most part the defense was very good. My dislike is limited to coaching. I still do not understand the minutes that Roache gets, particularly in today's late game situation. Bill, you're right, Trapani's 3s were off today. But, he was giving a heck of an effort on the boards and in the paint. Given that, I will never understand why Roache is in the game late in the second half, while Joe was on the bench. Once again, the fans cheered in relief when Joe got up off the bench at the 4 minute mark. Roache's line in 7 minutes was 1 assist and 1 foul. He gives us nothing, and should not be in the rotation ahead of guys like Elmore who had some very productive first half minutes. All-in-all a much better team effort and encouraging. One last dislike, after a good showing for Wake, the students are already off the bandwagon. Pathetic. Superfans....please.
Ry: It's no overstatement to say that Reggie's late-game clutch shooting iced the game. He is the future.
The injuries are affecting Raji's shooting more than anything. He can burst to the rim and get boards still, but it is hard to concentrate on a jumper when your lower body gnarled in pain.
And what to think about Maryland... they just got embarrassed on national TV by a hated rival. They will be out for blood.
Can't get too excited about the Eagles recent "streak." The wins have come against basement dwellers. They really need the Maryland game but it's bad timing considering the Terps effort last night vs Duke.
Morrina, I disagree with two of your comments. First, Roche got minutes because Trapani wasn't shooting very well, which you said, too. Roche isn't great, but he has his rare moments. If the person ahead of him isn't producing, it's his right to get a chance.
Second, the student section, and attendance on the whole, was very respectable. You can't compare #2 Wake Forest to 1-3 NC State...yeah, the student section isn't going to be as full, it's a no brainer. That said, there still was a decent crowd at an earlier start time and in a weekend that has 1 basketball game and 2 hockey games; I'm glad as many students showed up as they did.
Walter, I'm pretty happy with the turnout as well. I wasn't expecting too many students at that game but we got a pretty good amount. Not to mention that game was almost nearly sold out (8,000+ in attendance for a bottom-feeder ACC team?), the hockey game Saturday night was just about full (against an average Maine team), and the hockey game today (against Maine again) is supposedly sold out. Good job by BC fans this weekend.
On an unrelated note, there's a small blurb on AJC.com about Arthur Lynch's (Fontaine) committment to UGA vs. BC.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/shared-blogs/ajc/cfbrecruit/entries/2009/01/24/te_arthur_lynch.html
I was really disappointed with the student section. Both sections immediately behind the basket were probably only half-full. It's a mid-afternoon game, guys, c'mon out and support your team. It's not like you can play on Facebook all afternoon anyway.
As far as positives, I would say Southern asserting himself on the offensive end. Yeah, he has issues with fumbling the ball away sometimes, but it was nice to see him stay out of foul trouble and still being active.
Another positive is Dunn's playing time. He does not fill the stat sheet, but everyone is comfortable with what he can offer. As long as we have a group group of 4 scorers, 15 minutes out of Dunn can be a nice change of pace.
With Jackson's emerging role, one negative is the lack of playing time for Paris. With Rice gone next year, Biko will likely play a much larger role. You would think that the 4 starting sophomores will remain starters, with one open spot. Will Jackson run the point, or will that be up to Paris? I personally am more comfortable with Paris at the point. Jackson off of the bench playing 25-30 minutes per game is fine by me. But still, it would be nice if Paris was getting 15 minutes these days...
This is the most important part of our schedule. If we win UMD, VT and UVA, we have the luxury of losing Wake, Clemson and Duke (that's not ideal of course). If we go 3-3 there, that puts us at 6-6 in conference. Finishing up with Miami, FSU, NCState and GT, we could be looking at 9-7 or 8-8. That should put us right squarely on the bubble. I'm still a little apprehensive whether 8-8 is possible, but let's believe that this is a "second half of the season" type team.
after some time on the tranquill hire... i rationalize it like this:
IF his contract is short, and the point is to mentor Day for one or 2 years, I am happy. IF it is not, it sucks.
Day is too young to be an OC, we all deep down think this, though fear him leaving. Hopefully it works for us, he becomes the O-line,WR coach, Tranquill is the QB coach, and Day gets enough of a raise to stay till he becomes HC
@ Patrick
Playing on Facebook? What does that even mean? That was a great student turnout, considering it's a lazy Saturday afternoon game with a mediocre BC team and a bottom-feeder NC State team. It's not like Dudley and Smith are gonna walk through that door. Considering half the student body is still in bed at 1:30 - 2 PM on a Saturday, this was as good as I could have expected (Yes, I was there).
ATLeagle - love the blog. The place to be for BC fans.
I got caught up in the ajc.com conversation of UGA/BC and posted this. Thought people here may appreciate it as well.
Some have argued that the academic difference between BC and UGA isn't as wide as it appears. I would argue the same in terms of sending players to the NFL.
36 UGA players currently in the NFL
http://www.bobgretz.com/chiefs-football/more-nfl-roster-notes.html
24 BC players currently in the NFL
http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/NFL-active.html
UGA - 8 1st round picks from '00 - '08
http://admin.xosn.com/attachments1/3678.pdf
BC - 6 1st round picks from '00 - '08
http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/NFL-draft.html
Certainly UGA has the advantage, but it's not like UGA vs some of the other "small private academic" schools:
Notre Dame - not sure of exact number of current NFL players but more than BC and less than UGA (2 1st round picks '00 - '08)
Stanford - 17 NFL players in '08 (1 1st round pick '00 - '08)
Vanderbilt - 14 NFL players in '08 (2 1st found picks '00 - '08)
Northwestern - 10 players currently in the NFL (2 1st round draft picks '00 - '08)
Duke - 4 players on an NFL roster in 2008 (0 1st round picks since '92)
I've said this before and I'll say it again. The student support for Men's basketball is pathetic. It shouldn't make any difference what our record is, or who we are playing. BC has the privilege of playing basketball in the premiere league in college basketball. Also, one of the greatest aspects of collegiate basketball is the possibility of upsets. That said, BC is not a bad team. They did beat NC -- fair and square. Do you think the students at NC State, Maryland, or Virginia evaluate whether they will bother to show up based upon how well their team is doing or the quality of the opponent? Not. Do BC students not watch college basketball games on TV and see the fun and pageantry of the game made possible by the support of student fans? Not only do BC students not show up, but they actually sit in their seats, and for the most part, remain passive and quiet. Sorry, not good enough. If they ranked the student sections of the ACC, BC would be a bottom-dweller. Attend EVERY game....and make some noise!!!
As far as Roache goes, he does not produce when he comes in. Even if Trapani is missing his 3s, he gives us defense, rebounding, and points in the paint. Roache gives us nothing. He supposedly shoots the lights out in practice, but aside from one game this season, has never scored in 3 years here. He gets burned on defense, and frequently turns the ball over. He simply is not talented or athletic enough to compete at this level.
First of all, you should lay off criticizing the student section when you can't even spell "Roche" right. Also, take one look at the GT game and see what great student support they have. Attendance issues aren't unique to BC. The student seats were full and a good amount of people were in the maroon seats behind the baskets as well. Back during my freshman year here, every game was packed. Granted, we were a much better team but the case remains that the basketball team gets good support. It's hard to get everyone out and excited when you run an uninspiring offense and lose to the likes of Dusquesne, Harvard, Robert Morris, and Saint Louis on a regular basis. As the team gets better, the attendance will improve. Simple as that.
Also, when the alumni can criticize the student section for not making noise will be a cold day in Hell. When the games are exciting, the crowd is excited. BC students are very vocal when the atmosphere is there.
Student fans at most colleges create the atmosphere, they don't just wait for it to happen. Also, your observation that only if the team wins will the students show up is disappointing. Show some pride in your school, and don't be fair weather fans -- alum and students alike.
The student support for the basketball team back when I was in school between '92-'96 was fantastic. Student seating was upper deck back then, too. Of course, we beat #1 UNC in the NCAAs in '94 and made the Elite Eight before losing to an inferior Florida team, but they were no better as a team than the '06 team that should've beaten Villanova in the NCAAs.
Of course, the hockey team was awful at the time and the arena was empty on weekends for those games. I mean, you could hear individual conversations from half an arena away on Friday nights.
But it does seem like despite the relative success of the basketball team in the last 5 or 6 years that support is headed in the wrong direction. But maybe that's just me and it's as simple as fielding a good team. Still strikes me as fair-weather, though.
Ryan you need to support the team by going to the games no matter how many games they have won. Basically you are admitting that the students are fair weather fans and justifying it by bringing up the Gtech crowd. You are only there for 4 years. Take advantage of this opportunity to go to the games. When I was there from 92 to 96 a couple of years the student tickets sold out and a number of people were left in the cold. How far we have fallen. I was at the ACC championship this year and saw the low attendance by BC students. Afterwards all I heard was excuses about the cost of the trip to the students. Step up to the plate and take advantage of these times by attending the games. Chances are you will move away from Boston after graduation and will not have many more opportunities like these.
I've been to every game here since my freshman year, besides breaks. No need to question my fanhood.
Yeah attendance isn't great, but the team just isn't exciting to watch, they have no connection with the student body (no Midnight Madness hurts), and simply put, they aren't good. I'm not surprised in the least that a lot of students don't bother to go. Put an exciting product on the floor and the fans will come back. Better yet, don't lose to scrubs like Harvard and the like and the fans will come back. That's exactly how you kill enthusiasm.
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