EagleOutsider.com

Just so everyone knows, we're going to take care of GT and NCST (close game though) to start ACC play 3-0. Sets up a huge game next Saturday Night in Coral Gables.

This team isn't really very good, and their defense is top 10 worst in the nation, but GT and NCST are

RPI 178 and 105 in the next 2.......must wins, but BC is going to need ALOT more than a 3-0 start to make any kind of run towards an NCAA Tournament

GT, NCST, UVA, @ Clemson, @ UVA, Wake. There are 7 games we have no business losing + the win at MD. The ACC is just bad, really bad.

I'm not so sure I'd chalk up NC State as a win just yet. (Or, for that matter, any team.) They've been playing most of the year without their star player, Tracy Smith.

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:GT, NCST, UVA, @ Clemson, @ UVA, Wake. There are 7 games we have no business losing + the win at MD. The ACC is just bad, really bad.

we had no business losing to Yale or Harvard. You forget the lack of talent (and D) on this team. Donahue has done a good job getting us to this poitn, but BC could lose any game on the schedule. Jackson is the only player that is an ACC starter on the entire team. This team can still get to the NCAAs with great coaching, but its still a longshot.

They're going to need all the ACC wins they can get, including some against the "better" teams in the conference. Losing to Yale and Harvard punched a big hole in this team's resume and it's going to be difficult to rehabilitate the season with those weighing us down, but they have to start somewhere (preferably on Saturday against the Jackets). GT blows, NC State should be beatable but who knows.

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:GT, NCST, UVA, @ Clemson, @ UVA, Wake. There are 7 games we have no business losing + the win at MD. The ACC is just bad, really bad.

Your confidence is inspiring, but I can't figure out where it comes from. Even a bad ACC team is tougher than most Ivy teams. If we can't beat Harvard and Yale, we are not going to sweep the games you mentioned above. We play no defense and are inconsistent offensively. You say the ACC is really bad and I counter with we are not helping make that less true. We may or may not end up 3-0 in ACC play but who the hell cares. We get Miami, FSU, Duke and UNC for 4 of 5 after that so even if you are right we are 4-4 at that point.

Art Vandelay {l Wrote}:If we can't beat Harvard and Yale, we are not going to sweep the games you mentioned above.

I disagree. I think we're discounting Harvard and Yale's familiarity with Donnahue's game plan. If we play aggressive basketball and put up a good number of 3s, we should win in ACC play.

AdamBC {l Wrote}:

Art Vandelay {l Wrote}:If we can't beat Harvard and Yale, we are not going to sweep the games you mentioned above.

I disagree. I think we're discounting Harvard and Yale's familiarity with Donnahue's game plan. If we play aggressive basketball and put up a good number of 3s, we should win in ACC play.

i agree.

AdamBC {l Wrote}:

Art Vandelay {l Wrote}:If we can't beat Harvard and Yale, we are not going to sweep the games you mentioned above.

I disagree. I think we're discounting Harvard and Yale's familiarity with Donnahue's game plan. If we play aggressive basketball and put up a good number of 3s, we should win in ACC play.

We gave up 78 points to Harvard. Pretty sure that has nothing to do with game plan.

TobaccoRoadEagle {l Wrote}:

Eagledom {l Wrote}:

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:GT, NCST, UVA, @ Clemson, @ UVA, Wake. There are 7 games we have no business losing + the win at MD. The ACC is just bad, really bad.

we had no business losing to Yale or Harvard. You forget the lack of talent (and D) on this team. Donahue has done a good job getting us to this poitn, but BC could lose any game on the schedule. Jackson is the only player that is an ACC starter on the entire team. This team can still get to the NCAAs with great coaching, but its still a longshot.

this is funny when taken in connection with the same poster saying that al needing to be drawn and quartered for losing to harvard the last two years and that it didn't matter who was on the roster - bc should NEVER lose to harvard.

This is BS. It was total crap when we lost under Skinner and is just as bad under the new coach.

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:I'm not so sure I'd chalk up NC State as a win just yet. (Or, for that matter, any team.) They've been playing most of the year without their star player, Tracy Smith.

Jordan Williams is a much better play with a much better surrounding team (unless Javier Gonzalez has one of his score 30 points for one time in the year) and we beat them on the Road.

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:I'm not so sure I'd chalk up NC State as a win just yet. (Or, for that matter, any team.) They've been playing most of the year without their star player, Tracy Smith.

Jordan Williams is a much better play with a much better surrounding team (unless Javier Gonzalez has one of his score 30 points for one time in the year) and we beat them on the Road.

Not that NC State is great, but they also have no bad losses. They have 4 losses all to major conference teams and 2 to ranked teams. I would not consider them a walkover.

Art Vandelay {l Wrote}:

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:I'm not so sure I'd chalk up NC State as a win just yet. (Or, for that matter, any team.) They've been playing most of the year without their star player, Tracy Smith.

Jordan Williams is a much better play with a much better surrounding team (unless Javier Gonzalez has one of his score 30 points for one time in the year) and we beat them on the Road.

Not that NC State is great, but they also have no bad losses. They have 4 losses all to major conference teams and 2 to ranked teams. I would not consider them a walkover.

Not a walk-over agreed. Although true, we should beat them at home. You're really under-estimating the effect Sid Lowe will have on this game.

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:

Art Vandelay {l Wrote}:

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:I'm not so sure I'd chalk up NC State as a win just yet. (Or, for that matter, any team.) They've been playing most of the year without their star player, Tracy Smith.

Jordan Williams is a much better play with a much better surrounding team (unless Javier Gonzalez has one of his score 30 points for one time in the year) and we beat them on the Road.

Not that NC State is great, but they also have no bad losses. They have 4 losses all to major conference teams and 2 to ranked teams. I would not consider them a walkover.

Not a walk-over agreed. Although true, we should beat them at home. You're really under-estimating the effect Sid Lowe will have on this game.

As stated earlier, Tommy Amaker beat us last night. Coaching good or bad only has so much impact.

TobaccoRoadEagle {l Wrote}:

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:... we should beat them at home...

why, are their players afraid of silence?

Ghosts....especially considering it's a 9:00 pm game on Wednesday Night. The ghosts will be out in full force.

TobaccoRoadEagle {l Wrote}:rcc has a TON of young talent that may someday learn to play together in spite of their coach.

This. They've been playing with only that young talent all year, and they've been doing just fine. Now they get their senior leader and best player back. Not a sure win.

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:

TobaccoRoadEagle {l Wrote}:rcc has a TON of young talent that may someday learn to play together in spite of their coach.

This. They've been playing with only that young talent all year, and they've been doing just fine. Now they get their senior leader and best player back. Not a sure win.

Right. Read the first post where I wrote "close win"

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:I'm not so sure I'd chalk up NC State as a win just yet. (Or, for that matter, any team.) They've been playing most of the year without their star player, Tracy Smith.

Jordan Williams is a much better play with a much better surrounding team (unless Javier Gonzalez has one of his score 30 points for one time in the year) and we beat them on the Road.

NC State has more overall talent than Maryland.

NCSU has too much inside game. Loss.

pick6pedro {l Wrote}:NCSU has too much inside game. Loss.

That's the achilles heel of this team - unless they shoot the lights out, a good inside team crushes them. They are short and are terrible at defense.

eepstein0 {l Wrote}::popcorn

Yeah, good call. I was worried about this one.

eepstein0 {l Wrote}::popcorn

Hey, I only said not to be so quick to chalk it up as a win. They put up a damn good fight on the road.

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:

Hey, I only said not to be so quick to chalk it up as a win. They put up a damn good fight on the road.

True - both GT and NCST were either tied/within 2 at the half. We seem to be pretty good at closing (as long as we keep a lead) - but we will have issues coming back when we're down in the 2nd.

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:

eepstein0 {l Wrote}::popcorn

Hey, I only said not to be so quick to chalk it up as a win. They put up a damn good fight on the road.

That brilliant play with about 3:30 left in the game where Lowe forgot to remind his team about the shot clock and they took a 40 foot jump shot for a shot clock violation shows you why we can beat times like that. The difference in coaching is vast between Donahue and a guy like Sidney Lowe who I think has a conference record of 21-49 over the last 6 years. I think this is the reason the ACC is so down. There's three elite coaches (Coach K, Gary Williams and Roy), there's some solid coaches (Mark Bennett, Donahue and I'll even throw Seth Greenberg in here, some unknowns (Clemson and Wake) and there there's the group of (Hewitt, Haith, Lowe). I'll give Leonard Hamilton some credit, he has improved a lot over the last few years as evidenced by his teams defense.

AdamBC {l Wrote}:

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:

Hey, I only said not to be so quick to chalk it up as a win. They put up a damn good fight on the road.

We seem to be pretty good at closing (as long as we keep a lead) - but we will have issues coming back when we're down in the 2nd.

Well, Tranq's not running the offense, so I don't see it as a huge problem. I think if the opposing team gets conservative in any way, this team has the ability to make a strong comeback.

pick6pedro {l Wrote}:

AdamBC {l Wrote}:

BCEagles25 {l Wrote}:

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:

Hey, I only said not to be so quick to chalk it up as a win. They put up a damn good fight on the road.

We seem to be pretty good at closing (as long as we keep a lead) - but we will have issues coming back when we're down in the 2nd.

Well, Tranq's not running the offense, so I don't see it as a huge problem. I think if the opposing team gets conservative in any way, this team has the ability to make a strong comeback.

Making large amounts of 3 points will do that to you

3's are going to keep us in games and going to shoot us out of games this year. It's the nature of the beast.

But it's positive to see that the team is making them at a high clip.