BC vs. UNC

Huge game today, BC could improve its seeding in a major way by beating UNC today. UNC plays at a fast pace, is seriously athletic and deep, and is exceptionally efficient on both offense and defense. Still, BC played UNC almost completely even in February at Conte and truly could have won that game. Here are the keys that BC must take care of to win:

1. Jared Dudley: Jared has to play like the player of the year today, scoring and rebounding and playing strong defense on, most likely Brandan Wright. This could be one of the defining moments of Jared's career at BC.

2. John Oates and Tyrelle Blair: Oates and Blair need to be very effective while on the floor in stopping Hansborough, clogging the lane to stymie Lawson's penetration and preventing second-chance offensive rebounds for UNC. If they can merely stop Hansborough from dominating, that would be excellent.

3. Tyrese Rice: Tyrese has been improving his play throughout this season and is both a steady hand at point guard and a potent scorer. BC needs him to step up again today and a repeat of yesterday would be huge. Check out this Bob Ryan article for a great perspective on this: link

4. Sean Marshall: Just play better than yesterday, your legacy could be defined here today just as Jared's can.

5. End of the First Half: BC must not give away the last two minutes of the first half, as they have too many times this season. BC needs to at least keep pace during that time period and, if possible, grab momentum by outscoring UNC.

BC can definitely win today if they can keep possessions closer to their preferred tempo in the high 60s than UNC's mid-70s. BC needs to play better defense than they have recently, control the defensive boards and execute with the offensive efficiency they are capable of. This is such an important game for BC's seeding. Let's go Eagles.