Game Blog: B.C. beats Virginia 76-63
Tyrese Rice of Virginia takes the court on March 12, 2009.
Mar 12, 2009
11:38 p.m. — Eagles win 76-63, advance to play Duke:
After a long final couple minutes, the Eagles have advanced to the quarterfinals to play Duke. And I can say this: Despite the ugliness of this game, they deserve that NCAA Tournament bid that they locked up tonight.
They found a way to win, making 31 of 36 free throws. If they want to beat Duke, however, they'll have to shoot much better.
Virginia's Diane, who scored a team-high 24 points, was pulled from the game with 42.6 seconds remaining and got a nice ovation from the remaining fans here. He ended his career strong, although it's too bad he didn't do this earlier in the season.
11:25 p.m. — Eagles have the answer:
Give it up to the Cavaliers. With the seats around them empty and even media row featuring plenty of empty spots, they aren't playing with empty hearts. They've hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions.
The problem is that the Eagles have had a strong response every time on the other end of the court. Rice just made a pretty no-look pass to Josh Southern for a dunk.
B.C. leads 65-57 and is headed to the free-throw line with just 2:50 left.
Anything can happen?
11:19 p.m. — B.C. getting it done at the FT line:
The Eagles aren't shooting very well, but they're getting to the free-throw line ... and converting. They have made 21 of 22 from the line compared to an 11-of-18 performance by Virginia.
11:11 p.m. — Virginia squandering opportunities:
This thing is far from over, with B.C. up 53-42, but Virginia is not helping itself whenever it gets a chance to really cut into its deficit.
On one possession, it was a carrying call. And then a traveling call. And another turnover. The Cavaliers have turned it over 18 times, which has translated into 17 points for the Eagles.
That's why B.C. has been able to survive shooting just 18-for-46 (39.1 percent) and 0-for-7 from 3-point range.
Time is running out on UVA.
11:00 p.m. — Killer sequence for Virginia:
The Cavaliers have shown life, perhaps (acually, I'm pretty sure) sensing that this is their season. A loss means returning home until next season.
A runner by Calvin Baker — his first field goal of the game — got Virginia back within single digits, 45-37, and then the Cavaliers caused a turnover.
But a pass in transition was intercepted and resulted in a layup for Sanders. And then he got fouled and is headed to the free-throw line.
So a game that looked like it could be down to five or six points is headed in the other direction ... for now.
10:53 p.m. — Crowd gets loud:
I don't know if this is a good or bad sign, but the crowd just got its loudest when the referees called back-to-back fouls — one on each team — in about a 2-second sequence. "Boooooooo," fans yelled.
Yep, it woke the crowd up. B.C.'s still up double digits.
10:42 p.m. — Seniors stepping up:
Maybe it's just me, but it seems that in these season-ending tournaments the seniors often play their best. They know what's at stake, they realize that their careers are nearing the end and they lay it all on the line.
Lewis Clinch was huge earlier for Georgia Tech with a career-high 32 points in the Yellow Jackets' upset of Clemson. And Diane has been the lone bright spot for Virginia, scoring 12 points, including two 3-pointers.
No other Cavalier has more than seven points.
B.C. leads comfortably 43-28 without, it should be mentioned, needing much scoring from Rice (four points)
10:26 p.m. — Sanders leads the way for B.C.:
We've reached halftime, and B.C. leads 37-25 on the back of Sanders. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward has simply bulled his way to the basket. He does it elusively, though, so as not to pick up charging calls. He scored two tough, critical layups at the end of the half.
Sanders leads all scorers with 13 points. A few other key stats:
— Virgina is killing itself at the free-throw line, where it's just 2-of-9; B.C. is 9-of-10.
— B.C. is winning the rebounding battle handily 24-16 and has nine offensive boards.
— The Eagles are up 12 despite not making a 3-pointer on five attempts. That's pretty impressive.
— The Cavaliers wouldn't be this close if not for senior Mamadi Diane, who has really come on of late. He had 23 points on Senior Day against Maryland and has nine tonight on 4-of-6 shooting.
10:12 p.m. — Virginia hanging around:
The Cavaliers are just hanging on at this point. B.C. is winning the rebounding battle 21-14 and has scored 16 points in the paint to 12 for Virginia, but the Eagles have cooled off enough for Virginia to be down eight thanks to a pair of 3-pointers.
That's the great equalizer. A couple 3s can get a team right back in a game. This was 29-15 and then, all of a sudden, 29-21.
What makes B.C. tough is its depth. Already seven players have scored, and that doesn't include Reggie Jackson. The freshman surely will, though. He was huge in B.C.'s win over Duke with 15 points.
10:03 p.m. — Eagles extend advantage:
B.C. has tightened up its defense and gone on an 11-2 run to take a 27-15 lead. Little-known forward Corey Raji is leading the way with nine points, all of them on layups or free throws.
Virginia, meanwhile, has gotten away from what was working for it — penetrating and getting to the basket. The Cavaliers are just 7-of-20 from the field.
Shooting 1-for-5 from the free-throw line hasn't helped.
Update 9:58 p.m. — Rakim Sanders a big-time talent:
As good as Rice is, and has been for four years, he might not even be the most talented player on his team. That could be Sanders, who is B.C.'s third-leading scorer with 12.8 ppg. The sophomore has an NBA body, is strong enough to get to the rim and has an improving jumper.
He just overpowered a Virgina player on a fast break for a three-point play as B.C. extends its lead.
Update 9:51 p.m. — It's all about layups:
If you like inside play, this is the game for you. The Cavaliers have made five field goals — all in the paint. The Eagles have made seven field goals, and six of them have been layups. No 3-pointers, no midrange jumpers.
Nope, this is about getting physical. Mike Scott of UVA just made a layup and got fouled — it was the Cavaliers fourth layup attempt of the possession.
B.C. leads 16-13.
Update 9:43 p.m. — Eagles getting it done in the paint:
The Eagles are doing a good job whether UVA plays man-to-man or zone of working the ball into the paint and getting high-percentage shots or getting fouled. Josh Southern just converted a layup and was hacked to make it 9-6..
B.C. has an 8-2 advantage on the glass and has already drawn five Virginia fouls.
Update 9:38 p.m. — Baker takes on Rice:
Virginia's Calvin Baker has the unenviable task of checking Rice, who just blew by him. But there was Assane Sene to help out with the block.
The key for Baker will simply be to make Rice work hard for everything and not give away anything easy.
Update 9:29 p.m. — B.C.'s postseason:
I'd say that the Eagles have a 90 percent chance of getting into the NCAA Tournament. Rakim Sanders saved them with his last-second jumper against Georgia Tech the other day.
But just to be sure, it wouldn't hurt winning tonight. Also, they need some momentum, having lost four of six games. Again, they're a very up-and-down team. And it always starts with Rice.
Time for hoops again. Enjoy.
Update 9:20 p.m. — No resting, folks.
Time to get back at it, guys. One more game, 40 more minutes of pulse-pounding basketball (or not). But something tells me this final game, No. 6 seed against No. 11 seed Virginia, could be more interesting than I'm sure the (empty) stands will indicate.
For one, we get to watch ACC second-team guard Tyrese Rice in one of his final college games. He's a joy to watch, especially in person. The way he seemingly glides around the court and then attacks at just the right moment is impressive.
We know what B.C. can do — and can't do. No ACC team has had the kinds of highs and lows of the Eagles. All you have to know is that they won at No. 1 North Carolina and then lost at ... Harvard. They also beat Duke.
Watch Virginia freshman Sylven Landesberg. He leads the ACC's freshmen in points (16.8 ppg) and minutes played (34.1 mpg) and is third in rebounds (6.0 rpg).
Oh, and most importantly, B.C. — in my humble opinion — has the best pep band in the league.
Almost game time. Let's get it started in here.
