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Boston College and the University of Kansas have agreed to a two-year men's basketball series, beginning with the 2006-07 season. The announcement was made by Boston College director of athletics Gene DeFilippo and head basketball coach Al Skinner. The first game in the series will be played in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., on Dec. 23, 2006. The Jayhawks will travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass., during the 2007-08 season. The 2006-07 contest will mark the second time the two programs have met on the hardwood. BC defeated 19th-ranked Kansas, 78-62, in the first round of the 1969 National Invitation Tournament in Madison Square Garden (March 16, 1969). Led by head coach Bob Cousy, the 16th-ranked Eagles advanced to the NIT title game that season, before losing to Temple. Boston College had a 1-0 record against Big 12 opponents this past season. BC defeated Oklahoma State, 76-68, in the final round of the Las Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 26, 2005. Kansas last played an ACC school on Jan. 1, 2005, defeating Georgia Tech, 70-68 in overtime, in Allen Fieldhouse. Boston College finished the 2005-06 season with a 28-8 record. The Eagles were ranked seventh in the final Associated Press national poll. Kansas completed the 2005-06 season with a 25-8 record. The Jayhawks were ranked 12th in the final AP national poll. BC played against Kansas coach Bill Self during Self's tenure at Tulsa. The Eagles lost to Tulsa, 80-66, in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic on Dec. 21, 1999. | ||
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Both sets of bleachers in the Spotsylvania High School gymnasium were already filled to capacity by the time a team of ACC seniors sauntered onto the floor to warm up for their exhibition game against a group of local players. The atmosphere was fairly electric for a Saturday night in April, as if the assembled fans recognized they were about to witness something unprecedented. They did--even before the opening tip. While his teammates worked on their jumpers or practiced layups, North Carolina's Damien Grant seemed intent on testing the physical limits of Spotsylvania's basketball goals. Grant, all 7 feet and 280 pounds of him, snagged a rebound in the lane and took one dribble before elevating for the most vicious, rim-rattling slam dunk in the history of Spotsylvania County's oldest high school. As the glass backboard rocked violently from side to side, threatening to break away from its metal anchor mounted in the ceiling, Spotsylvania senior Stevie Johnson watched from the other end of the court with a combination of awe and horror. "I was hoping he wasn't going to break the board," Johnson said. "There would've been some upset people if we couldn't play." Approximately 2,000 people paid $10 a head to get into Saturday's game, the third stop on a barnstorming tour that was the brainchild of former Fredericksburg resident Brian Dawson. They came to see players like North Carolina's David Noel, N.C. State's Cameron Bennerman and Duke's Sean Dockery--competing not as fierce rivals, but as teammates. They came to get a taste of ACC basketball, albeit in a much different environment than the Dean Dome or Cameron Indoor Stadium. They came to see some of the area's best hoopsters test their skills against physically superior athletes. And a significant majority of the fans came to boo both Dockery and college teammate Lee Melchionni, proving that anti-Duke feelings travel to even the furthest-flung corners of ACC country. "As a Duke player, you know that everywhere you go some people are going to love you and some people are going to hate you," Melchionni said. "That really put a smile on my face." The boo birds could've had a couple more convenient targets Saturday night. Dawson said Duke All-Americans J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams were initially receptive to participating in the ACC Challenge tour, but scheduling conflicts forced both players to decline the invitation. Boston College Craig Smith and Wake Forest's Justin Gray also elected not to play--choosing, instead, to work out in preparation for the upcoming NBA draft. Dawson did find several recognizable players who were willing to accept his $500 per-game paycheck, however--most notably Noel, a little-used reserve on North Carolina's 2005 national championship team who became an all-ACC pick as a senior. "We know what we're risking out here," Noel said. "But you can get hurt walking down the street. If I'm going to get hurt, I may as well be playing basketball. "This is a chance to give back to fans who don't always get a chance to see us play in person. We wanted to come out and put on a show." Both teams did their part to keep the fans entertained. Massaponax senior Jeremy Hence drove for the game's first dunk after picking off a pass at midcourt and scored 12 points as the locals raced out to a 31-22 lead. The ACC seniors showed flashes of dominance, including dunks on three consecutive possessions. But as expected, they played little defense and allowed their opponents a chance to shine in front of the home fans. By halftime, the ACC team led in dunks by a 7-1 margin, but trailed on the scoreboard 62-52. "I don't think they're trying," Johnson said. "Not too hard, at least." Melchionni, who heard it from the fans after tossing up an airball in the first half, finally found his stroke early in the second. He scored nine quick points, including an alley-oop from Dockery, and sparked an 18-2 run that ended with another monster jam by Grant. The locals didn't go down quietly, cutting their deficit to one on a 3-pointer by Riverbend's Kris Yager, but the ACC pulled away in the final three minutes for a 97-90 victory. "It was a matter of getting together and doing something fun," Clemson's Shawan Robinson said. "The score was close, but we were pretty much messing around." Even though they weren't able to pull off the upset, the locals' smiles suggested they also enjoyed being on the same court with players most had only seen on TV. "It was a lot of fun," Hence said. "Anytime you get a chance to play guys like this, it shows you what the next level is." Added Dawson: "Being a local guy, I wanted to have a good showing. I'm extremely pleased with the turnout from the fans and the players." A significant portion of the crowd stuck around for a postgame autograph session. The group was so large, in fact, that even 30 minutes after the final buzzer, the line of autograph-seekers nearly stretched the length of Spotsylvania's gym. The ACC team's 10 players sat patiently at a table and signed every hat, shirt, poster and scrap of paper placed before them. They smiled and posed for pictures with complete strangers, and seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves.
"This just shows the love people have for ACC basketball," Noel said. | ||
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| Fairfield named Ed Cooley its men's head basketball coach on Tuesday.
Cooley spent the last 10 seasons as an assistant coach under Boston College coach Al Skinner. After the 1996-97 season at Rhode Island, Cooley followed Skinner to the Eagles. "It's with great pleasure that I welcome Ed to the Fairfield University community as our men's basketball coach," athletic director Eugene P. Doris said. "His enthusiasm and experience make him the perfect choice for our basketball program. He has been part of successful basketball programs throughout his career, and played a key role in that success as a top-notch recruiter." Cooley helped guide Boston College to a 175-108 record in nine seasons, including five years of 20 wins or more. During his tenure, the Eagles earned six postseason berths, five of which came in the NCAA Tournament. "I am very thankful for the opportunity to coach at a prestigious university like Fairfield University," Cooley said. "I am looking forward to building a successful program at Fairfield University, and creating a winning atmosphere. I will recruit nationally to bring in quality student athletes who can succeed both academically and athletically." He takes over for Tim O'Toole, who posted a 112-120 record over eight seasons. The Stags finished just 9-19 in 2005-06. | ||
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| It turned out to be a banner year for Steven Smith. The senior forward from LaSalle, and a graduate of Northeast High School capped his college career by being named as the Atlantic Ten Conference's Player of the Year for the second straight season. Smith, who is projected as a first-round NBA pick, averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game for the Explorers, who recorded their first winning record in years. The men's basketball team made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, but lost to eventual champion Florida in their bid to make the final four. In the game against Boston College, the Wildcats were aided by outstanding defensive efforts by Kyle Lowry and Shane Clark, both graduates of Cardinal Dougherty. | ||
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| When Virginia Tech left the Big East two seasons ago with Miami and Boston College to join the ACC the idea was to widen its athletic horizons. In terms of women's basketball, that meant competing with North Carolina and Duke instead of the frustrating task of trying to beat UConn on its home court in the postseason. Tuesday, the Hokies found their path to the Sweet 16 and the Bridgeport Regional again blocked by the Huskies, a program they had absolutely no luck against in the Big East. But this time it was on the neutral court at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. The horde of UConn partisans usually around to shout the Hokies down was replaced by a hardly audible flock about the size of a community book club. It didn't matter. After cutting a 19-point first-half deficit to nine, the Hokies lost their steam in the second half. Final: UConn 79, Virginia Tech 56. Same as it ever was. "We beat a good team," coach Geno Auriemma said. "There are no bad teams left at this point. "But happy? I don't know what happy is. I haven't experienced that in a long time, probably since my son was born 18 years ago. I guess I'm just less miserable. But I am happier." Still, UConn has won 10 of the 11 meetings and none have been close. But the Virginia Tech starting five, all of whom were around for the last meeting, a 48-34 UConn victory in the 2004 Big East tournament, weren't concerned heading into the game. "The last time we played them was before we lost to Boston College in [the Big East] tournament," Auriemma said. "It was a real ugly, fistfight kind of a game which set the tone for the next night. But I don't know if there's any similarity between that [UConn] team and this one. That team was weighed down by needing to repeat as national champions for a third time. This one is intent to do something for itself." In the end, the familiarity didn't help much. The two big reasons Tech went home were the two UConn seniors, Ann Strother and Barbara Turner, they professed to have a handle on. Strother (22 points, six threes) killed them outside, Turner inside (18 points, 16 rebounds). We were flat, we didn't play well," Tech coach Beth Dunkenberger said. "We're a different team than we were two years ago, just as they are. We got into a situation where shots weren't falling for us and we got frustrated. It's unfortunate, but it happens." When freshman guard Renee Montgomery converted a steal nine minutes into the game, the Huskies led, 21-10. The lead grew a few seconds later when Mel Thomas swished a three from the right corner. At one point in the first half, a UConn team that's had so much trouble sustaining its offense ran unabated on an 20-2 run that opened a 29-10 lead with 8:26 to play. The Hokies sat in a 2-3 zone and chipped away at the deficit. They had it cut to six (38-32) in the final 30 seconds before Ann Strother's three rebuilt the lead to 41-32 at the half. "We were experiencing a little lull at the time when they were going on a run," Strother said. "We needed to step up and make something happen." | ||
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| Boston College senior forward Craig Smith underwent successful surgery on his left wrist on Thursday.
Smith is resting comfortably at home, athletic department spokesman Dick Kelley said. Smith suffered a torn ligament in the Eagles' 60-59 overtime loss to Villanova last week that bounced BC from the NCAA tournament. Smith is the leading rebounder in Boston College school history with 1,114, and ranks second on the all-time scoring list with 2,349 points in 130 games. | ||
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| The Boston College Eagles don?t need much of a sense of history to know that they can?t take 12th-seeded Montana lightly in Saturday?s second-round match-up in Salt Lake City, Utah. They have to look no further in the rear-view mirror than yesterday. On at least two occasions in overtime, 13th-seeded Pacific looked like a sure bet to end B.C.?s season prematurely. So this year?s Eagles already know all about how tough a double-digit seed can be. College kids need reinforcement, however, so B.C. coach Al Skinner might want to pull out the tape of last year?s second-round game with Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Panthers caught the Eagles off guard and rolled to an 83-75 upset win. Wisconsin-Milwaukee?s seed? A twelve. Same as tomorrow?s opponent, Montana. Since 1985, only twice has a 12th-seeded team failed to beat a 5th-seed in the first round. Montana came into this year?s NCAA Tournament as one of the twelve seeds not necessarily expected to pull off such an upset. So, in keeping with the tradition of March madness, that?s exactly what the Grizzlies did. They went wire-to-wire in eliminating a highly-touted Nevada team, 87-79. The Grizzlies can beat teams from the outside if need be, but they will only go as far as center Andrew Straight takes them. He led Montana with 22 points against Nevada and will be a focal point for the Boston College defense. | ||
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| Sunday's ACC championship game was interrupted early in the second half when Duke's Greg Paulus, celebrating his diving play to force a turnover, leaped to his feet in front of the Blue Devils' bench and brushed Boston College Louis Hinnant in the chest with his flailing arm. Hinnant responded with a shove, and a brief fracas broke out. J.J. Redick, already on the bench for a breather, had pulled up Paulus to congratulate him on his hustle, but ended up locking his arms across the freshman's chest as Paulus started in Hinnant's direction. Players from both teams swarmed and barked at each other before BC coach Al Skinner crossed the court and ordered his troops back to the bench. The officials charged Paulus with an unsportsmanlike foul and Hinnant with a dead-ball contact foul. Both coaches shook hands, Hinnant and Redick each made one of two free throws, and the Eagles led 42-40 with 16:13 to play. Skinner and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski praised the officials' handling of the situation and downplayed its significance in the game. "It really was incidental," Skinner said. "Paulus was excited about getting a turnover. He jumped up and ruffled Hinnant, and of course Hinnant didn't see him and he just kind of shoved him back. ... It wasn't even a distraction for either team. Maybe the fans and everyone else got excited, but for us for the most part, it really didn't have any impact on the game at all." REDICK 411 Redick's Sunday stats certainly were impressive - he shot 8-of-17 from the floor and 7-of-11 from 3-point range. But the box score also included a glaring anomaly - a 3-of-6 performance from the free-throw line. Redick, second all-time in the NCAA with a .921 free-throw shooting percentage, experienced an unheard-of lapse early in the first half, missing both free throws with 14:38 to play after drawing contact on a jumper. Then, after a dead-ball contact foul on Hinnant in the second half, Redick missed the second of two free throws with 16:13 to play. But his 26 points made him the ACC tournament's all-time leading scorer with 225. In his final tourney go-round, the senior guard finished with 71 points, shooting 23-of-51 from the floor, 15-of-34 from 3-point range and 10-of-14 from the line while recording six assists. POST PRESENCE Craig Smith and Jared Dudley form a formidable post presence in the Eagles' inside-out game, and true to form, the Eagles outrebounded the Blue Devils 34-25. Smith recorded his second straight double-double, with 19 points and 10 rebounds. But BC hardly manhandled Duke in the middle. Williams scored 18 points and pulled down eight boards, and freshman Josh McRoberts exerted his 6-foot-10, 230-pound influence, scoring 16 points and grabbing five rebounds in 32 minutes. McRoberts stepped up his game in the ACC tournament in a trend the Devils would like to see continue. After averaging 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in the regular season, McRoberts scored 10 points and snared seven rebounds in Duke's 80-76 quarterfinal win over Miami, and had 13 points and eight boards as the Devils beat Wake Forest 78-66 in Saturday's semifinal. | ||
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| Ganiyat Adeduntan scored 20 points and Holly Johnson added 15 to help Florida State beat No. 17 Boston College 71-60 on Sunday, handing the Eagles their fourth straight loss.
Johnson scored nine of her 15 points during a decisive 13-2 run midway through the second half, and the Seminoles (19-9, 10-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) completed their most successful regular season in ACC play. Brooke Queenan led the Eagles (19-10, 6-8) with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Queenan's basket with 13:11 to play had the Eagles within 38-34, but Alicia Gladden scored in transition to get the Seminoles' run going. Johnson countered with back-to-back 3-pointers, then finished off a three-point play for a 51-36 lead with 8:20 left. Gladden added 16 points for the Seminoles, who won for the eighth time in nine games. | ||
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Sean Marshall's three-point play early in the second overtime gave Boston College the lead for good, and the 11th-ranked Eagles beat No. 15 North Carolina State, 74-72, yesterday in Raleigh, N.C. N.C. State had two chances in the waning seconds, but Boston College's Sean Williams swatted away a three-pointer by Engin Atsur to ruin the first. Then Atsur lofted an off-balance air ball right before the buzzer. "Very little came easily for us," N.C. State Coach Herb Sendek said. "Boston College was great defensively, especially down the stretch." Marshall finished with 22 points, while Craig Smith had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists for the Eagles (22-6, 9-5 ACC). Ilian Evtimov led the Wolfpack (21-7, 10-5) with 16 points. It was the third time this season the Wolfpack needed 50 minutes to decide the outcome, and it fell to 2-1 in those games. North Carolina State has a week off before completing the regular season at Wake Forest, hoping to reverse a two-game losing streak before the ACC tournament. | ||
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