Rice Gets Eagles Past 'Canes

At the 7:20 mark in the second half, Tyrese Rice was having a great game. The sophomore guard had 22 points already and was the only reason why his Boston College Eagles weren’t being embarrassed by Miami, the lowest seed (#12) in the ACC Tournament.

Still, BC was down 10 and almost certainly headed for a quarterfinals upset.

Nearly seven minutes later, with the game clock furiously ticking away tenths of seconds in the final minute, Rice floated a three-pointer that bounced softly off the front of the rim, kissed ever so gently off the glass, and dropped through the hoop having barely ruffled the nylon. The game was tied at 64. Rice had a career-best 30 points and there was still an extra five minutes to be played. Rice wasn’t just having a great game, he was having the game of his life.

With :02 left in overtime, Rice clinched a 74-71 win with a pair of free-throws. His career day culminated with 32 points and the Eagles snuck into the semis by the skin of their teeth. BC may have been the overwhelming favorite entering Friday’s game, but when the final buzzer sounded (before Miami’s Anthony Harris could get a shot off), it seemed as though the Eagles had just pulled off their most improbable win of the season.

In many ways, they had. Jared Dudley – ACC Player of the Year, BC’s leading scorer, 2,000 career points, his list of credentials is endless – didn’t score until two minutes into the second half and didn’t hit a field goal until the 12:24 mark. Sean Marshall, who averaged 14.5 points during the regular season, had just five points. Until Rice’s game-tying three with :33 left in regulation, BC hadn’t been square with the ‘Canes since the scoreboard read 5-5, just three minutes in.

Without Rice…well imaging BC without Rice Friday might be impossible. BC would’ve ceased to exist. Without Rice, the score at half would’ve been 38-12. BC never would have even been within range of an 11-point comeback with less than nine minutes left. Without Rice, who hit six 3s, including two crucial ones down the stretch, the Eagles would’ve lacked the quick-strike firepower that makes comebacks like that possible.

The Hurricanes simply looked like the better team for the first three-quarters of the game. With Dudley posting an 0-fer and the Eagles forgetting to box out on the defensive glass, Miami hustled its way to second chance points on the inside as Harris (15 points, 3-4 3FG) and sophomore-guard Jack McClinton (16 points, 4-8 3FG) lit the lamp from downtown. Rice, who scored 14 of BC’s 18 points during one stretch in the first half, answered back (sometimes verbally) with three triples of his own to keep the Miami lead in single digits. But a broken play at the end of the half allowed Harris to sink a running buzzer-beater from behind the arc, which gave the ‘Canes a 10-point lead at the break.

Rice did have help in the second half and beyond. When the Eagles’ deficit stretched to 14, Dudley started to do Dudley things. Unable to hit from the floor, he crashed into the lane and started to draw fouls. His nose for the ball – usually the size of Gonzo’s – reemerged as he snared every loose ball and positioned himself perfectly for offensive rebounds. By the 8:56 mark, Dudley’s point total crept up to seven and his energetic presence gave his teammates a crucial surge of confidence for the final stretch. Freshman Tyler Roche – 1.8 points per game – unflinchingly drilled two-straight jumpers, including a three that cut the lead to eight. John Oates (season-high 14 points) started to find openings on the inside and finished two plays assisted by Dudley and Marshall. Marshall shook off a 1-for-8 start and sunk a deep three to get BC within four with 2:32 left.

Rice had eight points in the final six minutes to lead the late, 14-6 BC run. But by the time the extra period began, Dudley and Oates were feeding off Rice’s career performance and were ready to take on whatever the Hurricanes blew at them. After Miami struck first, Dudley stepped back at the elbow and tied the game at 66 with a jumper. McClinton hit a three as the clock ticked below the three-minute mark, but Oates quipped back on the next possession with a trifecta of his own from the corner. Dwyane Collins threw down a dunk on the other end, which set up Dudley’s play of the night. Down two, Dudley reached up amid two Miami big men, grabbed an Oates miss, drew a foul on Jimmy Graham (his fifth), and banked home the game-tying bucket. His ensuing free-throw gave BC its first lead since the 18:09 mark in the first half.

The ‘Canes couldn’t answer back. Fittingly, Rice’s free throws were the final touch on BC’s most dramatic win of the year. Unfortunately for the Eagles, there’s no time to celebrate. They can exhale, but that’s about it. Up next is the semifinals and awaiting them is North Carolina, the tournament’s #1 seed and a team lobbying for the same ranking in that other, slightly madder tournament. BC edged UNC in last year’s semis, but this year’s Tar Heels squad is loaded with NBA-ready talent and beat the Eagles on their home court in the schools’ only matchup of the year. To take them down, BC will need to step up its level of play considerably.

Got 33 in ya, Tyrese?