BC beats Auburn! (Maybe it was a good time to play Pearl.)

If last week was a disaster for the basketball team, this week is off to a good start. BC upset Auburn in Madison Square Garden 72-71. There was a lot to like about this game and still some things of concern. However, I don't want to diminish this win. It is was against a Power 5 team on a big stage and against a team with momentum. I don't expect this to mean BC turned a corner. This could still be a fluke. Most likely this is the "two steps forward" process of progression. Here are some other likes and dislikes:

Likes
-- Clutch plays from Popovic. When BC needed a basket, he made a beautiful post move. The tip in to win was also nice. It seems like he has a good basketball IQ.
-- Bowman creating in traffic with the game on the line. He wanted the ball late and got his shot off. That seems like a simple thing, but when was the last time we had someone who wanted the ball like that, could actually get a shot off and we didn't wince when he did?
-- Not letting the game get away from them. BC had a ton of mistakes down the stretch (see below). Yet they didn't fold. That is progress.

Dislikes
-- So many turnovers. Pearl pressures. We know that. But things were really sloppy, especially for Robinson.
-- Trouble with a two man game on D. Auburn kept getting open shots with just two guys on the perimeter. Do our guys not talk to each other out there?
-- Christian calling a timeout as BC drove for an open shot. And BC made what would have been the go ahead basket. Thank god that didn't come back to haunt us.  

Basketball loses to Auburn, falls to 4-8

There was a time in the second half when you could see the basketball team playing hard and trying to climb back into the game. They cut it to eight with plenty of time, but then the defense couldn't get a stop. Auburn held on and won 77-67.  Aside from Hanlan, no one played particularly well. But the stats really don't matter at this point. This season is over. There will be no NCAA Tournament and now their record is so bad it will take a strong ACC record just to get into the NIT. What matters now is what should Brad Bates do about Steve Donahue.

I am not in the "Fire Donahue" camp yet. I don't necessarily have some great hope or great affinity for the coach. The pending mega-recruiting class in 2015 makes a decision necessary and imminent. My issue -- which I will explore in the coming weeks -- is what are the true alternatives. If we cannot get an A List coach, does it make more sense to force Donahue to make staffing changes? Has the team totally quit on him and tuned him out? I don't know. 

At this point it seems over. The season. The Donahue era. I just hope he and the players have enough pride to change the results.