Carolina Blues

It was a fitting finish to a disapointing week for BC Sports. The women's hockey team victory BU to win the Beanpot was overshadowed by a heartbreaking overtime loss on the men's side and two tough losses on the hard court. The mens hockey team responded by sweeping Maine at home, and the BC hoopsters will look to do the same against Virginia Tech on the road Wednesday.

Saturday night, the Eagles fell to new ACC leader North Carolina 77-72 in arguably the most anticipated regular season BC basketball game in history. The game seemed just beyond the Eagles' reach the entire game, and when the final buzzer sounded, UNC proved to be a little too much.

There were many missed opportunities down the stretch that can be pointed to as "reasons" for the loss, but BC played its heart out and it would be unfair to point fingers. The intensity of the match-up seemed to suggest that the two teams will face each other again in tournament play (conference or national).

It took me a long time to compose myself, subdue my emotions, and really determine what lessons should be learned from the game:

1. Skinner did a nice job. After a week of being torn apart on the message boards, he managed the game much more effectively Saturday. The technical foul was bogus, but I'm glad to see him exhibiting some emotion. There was no reason for the calls against Jared earlyl on, and I was happy to see Al go down swingin'. Also, Skinner used the team's timeouts effectively and substituted players on the floor appropriately.

2. The atmosphere in Conte tonight was explosive. As a fan, it was the best experience I have had on The Heights. While the court-storming victory over Syracuse challenges this one (a loss), the move to the ACC is really starting to captivate fans all over. I was glad to see Craig back in Conte to witness it. Having GameDay on campus in the morning was an additional plus, allowing the students and fans to rally around the team's achievements.

3. It was disapointing to see Jared picked up his third foul early in the first half. Duds is BC's emotional leader on the floor, and with him on the bench, BC spent the last few minutes of the half trying to stay within striking distance, rather than build a lead. Other than his struggles from the line, Jared played a great game.

4. Tyrese Rice does not back down. His performance Saturday (20 points) allowed him to show the world how dynamic of a player he is. While the electric Ty Lawson ran up and down the court, with no apparant tar on his heels, Rice successfully got into the lane and scored some big buckets. He has come so far, and is only getting better.

In my opinion, the critical differences in the game were rebounding in the first half and free throw shooting (the ten missed three's in the second frame didn't help either). BC matched the talented Tar Heels in terms of field goals... they were just more effective from the stripe and they had more second chance opportunities.

All in all, it is hard to be upset about the result. It was a hard fought game that both teams deserved to win. Unfortunately, the Eagles came up a little bit short this time, leveling the all-time series to 3 wins apiece. BC will potentially see the Tar Heels again this year, and revenge will be sweet.