Tobacco Road Report

by David

You know coming into this game someone had to win. Neither BC nor Clemson has been dominant down the stretch, to put it nicely, and both teams needed a win to right the ship and solidify playoff hopes. Clemson came out hard in the first half but lost their intensity in the second half and BC took control.

The list of top performers for BC is short, three players had 55 of BC's 59 points. It is a familiar list of names and includes Jared Dudley (23 points, 11 rebounds), Sean Marshall (18 points, 3 rebounds), and Tyrese Rice (14 points, 6 rebounds). Tyrelle Blair chipped in 6 blocks in 24 minutes played. Look for Blair's defense to become more crucial as we get into playoff basketball.

Clemson's Trevor Booker (14 points, 10 rebounds) was the key performer for the Tigers, but they also got good contributions from K.C. Rivers (15 points, 6 rebounds). For Clemson it was the story of two halves. At halftime they had a five point lead but allowed BC to go on an 11-3 run in the first five minutes plus of the second half. Clemson did not shoot nearly as well from the field as they had in the first meeting between these two teams managing only 35.6% from the field and 31.6% from behind the three-point line. Add in 50% from the charity stripe and you just are not having a good day shooting the ball.

The real key for these teams is where they go from here. BC got a much needed win to keep them in the top four of the ACC as the tournament approaches. Clemson continues the freefall since going 17-0 to start the season. BC has a week off until they end the regular season at Georgia Tech, a tough game for the Eagles to be sure, but one they need to lock up a firt round bye in the ACC tournament. Clemson hosts Miami on Wednesday and goes to Va. Tech to close the season. Neither of these will be easy for Clemson given the way they are playing right now, but they clearly have the talent to do it. The real question is whether they can put together four good halves to end the season and maybe salvage an NCAA tournament bid.