Eagles Blow Out Hokies, Lead ACC Again
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – If Saturday’s 80-59 win over Virginia Tech is any indication, Boston College will surely be in the NCAA Tournament. The debate over whether or not they can get there can end now.
In dominating a good Virginia Tech team basically from start to finish, the Eagles surely looked the part of a team bound for the Big Dance, something which was an open question a couple of weeks ago. Suffice it to say, the Eagles certainly did what they had to do on Saturday, although there was a small question mark for a time in the second half.
Boston College came out on fire early, running out to a 10-1 lead, making four of five after missing their first shot. After the Hokies closed within 19-14, the Eagles ran off 14 unanswered points to slam the door seemingly for good. Jared Dudley scored 10 of his game-high 30 points in the run, which ended just after he picked up his third foul.
To the Eagles’ credit, the lead didn’t drop when he was out for the remainder of the half. Tyrese Rice, who has quietly developed into one of the better point guards in the ACC, picked up some of the slack, finishing the half with 11 points and five assists with just one turnover. The ACC’s leader in assists finished with 20 points and eight helpers.
“The game is starting to slow down for me a lot,” said Rice, who is clearly more comfortable running the team now. “When I first took over at the point, it was a real fast game and I just couldn’t really grasp it as quickly as I wanted to.”
In the second half, the Eagles didn’t come out with the same sense of urgency and appeared to be playing not to lose the lead. The Hokies showed signs that they might have a run in them to come back, getting within 14 just after the first media timeout. Deron Washington came alive in the second half, scoring 11 of his team-high 18 points in the first seven minutes before picking up his fourth foul. From that point on, they never seriously challenged the Eagles.
“That’s the biggest flaw of having a big lead, it’s that first five minutes you’re just going through the motions and the other team is energized after the halftime talk,” said Skinner.
All along, the Eagles got production from role players who they need it from the remainder of the season. Tyrelle Blair (six rebounds, three blocked shots), Tyler Roche (five points, five rebounds) and Marquez Haynes (a key three-pointer in the first half) didn’t fill the stat sheet, but all three gave the team a boost off the bench. The Eagles will certainly ride Dudley, Rice and inconsistent Sean Marshall (10 points on Saturday and never really a factor), but they need to get something from their bench as well, especially if any of the big three get in foul trouble on a given night.
“That’s what they need to do – they need to remain solid and execute on the offensive end,” said Skinner. “They did a great job, they were solid, they didn’t try to play outside themselves, and obviously we’re very pleased with that.”
The Eagles end the day in a tie with Virginia atop the ACC at 7-2 and have the look of a team that has made it through the adjustment period of not having two players for the remainder of the season. Players look like they know their roles and the team seems to know what it has to do. In the ACC, which is wide-open aside from North Carolina being the favorite, that could go a long way. As it stands now, the Tar Heels aren’t even in first place, although they are even in the loss column and a half game back.
“I think ten (ACC wins) is the magic number, but we’re not going to stop at ten,” said Dudley, who added 13 rebounds and four assists. “You want to put yourself high up there. I want to get a really good seed, and we’re trying to get a bye for the ACC Tournament so we can rest up.”
Other Notable Games
Texas A&M 69, Kansas 66: A huge win for the Aggies, a team that some might finally start talking about as a team that can make a Final Four run this season. This is their first win over Kansas since the Big 12 was formed, and for good measure it was at Allen Fieldhouse.
North Carolina State 83, North Carolina 79: Suddenly, there is life in the Wolfpack again, as they also knocked off Virginia Tech in Blacksburg earlier in the week.
Arizona 84, Washington 54: This is just what the struggling Wildcats needed after losing five of six, and exactly what the Huskies, who are now 4-7 in Pac-10 play, didn’t need.
UCLA 82, Oregon State 35: The second blowout of the day in Pac-10 play that jumps out because of the margin. The Bruins led 48-18 at the half.
USC 71, Oregon 68: The Ducks lose three of four in their road swing, and the Trojans bypass them into a tie for second in the Pac-10.
Stanford 90, California 71: The Cardinal continues to surge, having won four straight Pac-10 games and seven of their last nine overall.
Virginia 81, Miami 70: Virginia pulls into a first-place tie in the ACC with Boston College at 7-2. Ever since losing to the Eagles, the Cavaliers have won six straight.
Georgia Tech 80, Clemson 62: The Yellow Jackets badly needed this one after losing four straight, although three came on the road. This also drops Clemson below .500 in ACC play, which will surely bring the Tigers’ skeptics back out.
Southern Illinois 54, Wichita State 46: Just when the Shockers had pulled back to .500 in Missouri Valley play, the team that is now looking like the favorites comes to their arena and picks up a win.
Marquette 69, Providence 62: The Golden Eagles stay right on Pittsburgh’s heels in the Big East on a day where they retired Dwyane Wade’s jersey. Jerel McNeal went for 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way after missing the first meeting between the two teams with an injury.
Connecticut 61, Rutgers 50 (OT): One can imagine what the Connecticut papers will be saying tomorrow, as the Huskies certainly shouldn’t need overtime against Rutgers. Connecticut’s defense and Rutgers’ offense is a case of strength against weakness.
South Florida 69, Notre Dame 63: A setback for the Irish in the middle of a three-game road swing, after a good win at Syracuse a few nights ago.
Kansas State 73, Texas 72: The Wildcats have quietly moved into a three-way tie for second in the Big 12 after this big road win, their seventh straight.
Vanderbilt 66, Georgia 61: Kevin Stallings continues his excellent coaching job and keeps the Commodores right behind Kentucky for second in the SEC East.
Colorado 89, Oklahoma State 77: It’s been a struggle for the Buffaloes in Ricardo Patton’s final season, but they get a good win here to snap a four-game skid.
Villanova 57, Louisville 53: The Wildcats bounce back from a couple of tough losses to beat the surging Cardinals, who had won four straight.
Iowa 81, Indiana 75: Iowa remains one of the surprises in the Big Ten, improving to 5-4 with this win.
Rhode Island 45, Fordham 44: A big road win for Rhode Island, which remains at the top of the Atlantic 10 despite 29 points and 13 rebounds from Fordham star Bryant Dunston.
Massachusetts 72, Richmond 56: The Minutemen are right with the Rams in that first-place tie, also standing 7-2 in Atlantic 10 games after this win.
Saint Louis 63, George Washington 53: That tie at the top no longer includes the Colonials after this road loss.
Mississippi 82, Auburn 59: Andy Kennedy is getting it done. The Rebels cap off a good week with a dominating road win and have quietly pulled into a tie for second in the SEC West with the Tigers.
Alabama 63, South Carolina 61: The Crimson Tide trailed for some of this one, but held on at the end to move into first place in the SEC West.
Mississippi State 85, LSU 78: LSU is now 2-6 in SEC play, continuing to chip away at their at-large margin and make it look more likely that they would need to win the SEC Tournament to get to the NCAA.
Air Force 88, Wyoming 43: The Falcons keep winning to stay atop the Mountain West, while Wyoming began the season with plenty of promise but falls to 4-5 in conference play.
Brigham Young, 90, UNLV 63: Mike Rose had the hot hand with 27 points on eight three-pointers. Just one game separates the top three teams in the Mountain West.
VCU 100, Georgia State 71: The Rams bounce back from Wednesday’s loss at Hofstra and reach the 20-win mark with this one.
Davidson 75, UNC-Greensboro 65: The Wildcats join the 20-win group and improve to 11-1 in Southern Conference play, keeping up their lead over College of Charleston in the South Division.
Wright State 66, Detroit 59: The Raiders stay right on Butler’s heels in the Horizon League with this road win. They get the Bulldogs at home in a week.
Duquesne 111, St. Bonaventure 92: The Dukes continue to push the pace and pick up their fourth straight win, this time on the road after three at home.
Iona 69, Rider 57: The Gaels get their first win of the season.
Yale 77, Penn 68: Yale sweeps the Princeton/Penn weekend at home and is now in first place in the Ivy League with a 5-1 league mark.
Brown 63, Princeton 48: Craig Robinson wins against his alma mater, pushing the Tigers to 0-4 in Ivy League play for the first time ever.
