This was the season to forget...until tonight. BC pulled off the upset of the season in the Carrier Dome by beating No. 1 Syracuse 62-59. There's a lot to digest with regards to what this means and the emotion attached with Dick Kelley, but the focus first should be on the game.
A couple of thoughts...
-- Heckmann played the game of his BC career. He didn't light up the scoreboard, but he played smart and focused. There wasn't one boneheaded move and his defense was very good.
-- Hanlan was the best player on the court. Syracuse boasts the Conference Player of the Year and a handful of McDonald's guys, but Hanlan made some huge clutch shots, and more importantly, could get his shot off against all of them.
-- Syracuse's pace helped us. It wasn't just the 2-3. Their methodical half court offense allowed us to play better defense than we've played all year. We didn't have many blown switches and they really didn't exploit their size advantage.
DK
Dick Kelley was mentioned on the broadcast and practically trended on Twitter. It was the best thing about the finish. I wish Dick had been alive to see the game. He would have been proud of his guys.
Donahue
We are past saving the season or saving his job. If anything, I think you can view this game as an indictment of the season. Why haven't we had shorter rotations all year? If playing slower led to better D, why didn't we do that earlier? After the game Donahue said, he told the team to stop trying to win a certain way. "Win ugly" is what he implored. Coach, where do you think they got the idea that every possession had to be a certain way? It is all too little, too late. I think this shows how much the team has underachieved and how a new voice and new vision for next year can make a big difference.
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