Revisiting Maryland

We play the winner of Maryland-Georgia Tech Friday night. BC was 1-2 against those two this year. In an effort to prepare for either team I am taking a look back at both. Maryland is up first.

What happened?

BC lost its first ACC game on the road by two. An off night from Dudley, poor foul shooting, a screw up with 2.2 seconds left and the need to cover for John Oates defensively all factored into the loss.

Since the game…

Maryland sputtered going 11-9 and 7-8 in conference. Much of their struggles were attributed to the loss of Senior Chris McCray. But the Terps had some real lousy defensive efforts in the middle of their season. Things looked really bad a week ago when they got thrashed by North Carolina (there is a lot of that going around). However, two wins this past week has put them back on the bubble. If they beat Georgia Tech, they will know that another win against BC will get them into the Tournament.

How will this game play out?

I don’t take either team lightly, but I would rather play Maryland than Georgia Tech. With an off night from Dudley and an undermanned team, Maryland still only beat us by 2 at home. The key to the game will be Hinnant and Rice’s ability to handle the defensive pressure and get our offense set up in the half court with plenty of time. Ibekwe had a huge night last game. He has come down to earth since. This time around I feel much better about our ability to contain him and Caner-Medley (with McLain and Williams sure to get more of Oates minutes). I also don’t think they can stop our interior scoring.

BC doesn't need a win, but playing well in the ACC tournament is a must. A first round loss would be a bad harbinger for the following week.