Senior Send-off

In 2003, Jared Dudley and Sean Marshall stepped onto Boston College campus for the first time, and they had an instant impact. In the tandem's first game against Appalachian State, the Eagles rode Sean's nine points and Jared's seven rebounds to a 92-67 victory. Since that day, the Eagles have called upon the two seniors to contribute every game (exception: Kansas). It hasn't always been pretty, but the duo have helped the Eagles achieve three consecutive NCAA births, and have successfully weathered the transition into the competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.

Jared ended the season chipping in 11.6 points per game, was a unanimous Big East All-Rookie Team selection, and was honored as Rookie of the Year by the New England Basketball Coaches Association. Last night, in his final game in Conte Forum, Jared broke out of his recent slump to remind BC fans just how valuable his presence on the court is.

The Eagles' 59-54 victory over the Clemson Tigers brought the team one step closer to the round of 64. BC's big three (Dudley, Marshall, and Rice) adopted a Machiavellian approach to the game, proving the ends justify the means, scoring all but four scrappy points for the Eagles.

ATL Eagle and Bitter Eagle discuss the individual performances in greater depth, but I want to spend time discussing the position the Eagles are now in. The season has been an emotional roller coaster, and BC's performance has been as volatile as any team in America (sometimes looking like ACC contenders, and sometimes looking hopeless against inferior opponents).

The Eagles have always preferred to flying under the radar, winning games that they shouldn't, and dropping the ones with odds in their favor (BC sports, in general). The past few games- Duke, UNC, and Virginia Tech- have been tough to watch as a fan, but must be weighed in the greater scheme of the season. Having lost Sean Williams, a man that hunted down Webster to redefine 'athleticism', it was difficult to imagine that the Eagles would get to ten conference wins...

The Eagles were visbly tired on the floor yesterday, and the week off before traveling to Georgia Tech will give the team the rare opportunity to recover. After losing McClain and Williams earlier in the season, BC has played with a short bench, relying on players to ignore any nagging injuries.

The relentless ACC schedule proved to be physically taxing on the players, recently translating into dropped passes, careless fouls, and dispicable free-throw shooting.

With only one game in a span of almost two weeks, the Eagles should be able to take a deep breath and prepare for the conference tournament, and hopefully the NCAA tournament.

Dudley has been hounded of late, with teams doubling down on the POY candidate and taking him out of his rhythm. After a rough first half last night (6 points), in which the Tigers were manhandling him inside (unabated by the refs), the Eagles latched onto Jared's cornrows and the senior captain brought home the W.

Winning was critical for BC's confidence down the stretch, and should be enough to quiet the media's recent 'BC Hate Campaign.' These Eagles will be a tournament team, and they have the leadership to do some real damage...

One side note- I'm sorry that the Eagles had so much trouble inbounding the ball of late, because I would have loved to see Tyler Neville get in the game. I don't want to put the blame on Al, who's thoughts appeared to be elsewhere, but this kid should have been on the floor of Conte when BC was up five with 4 seconds remaining. Thanks Tyler!