Well that was trbl. In one of the slowest games I've ever seen with a crowd that looked more dead than Keith Richards, BC was able to hold off Virginia, 76-63, despite Tyrese Rice and Joe Trapani both having off nights.
Rice, who only hit one shot from the field, had nine points (7 for 8 FTs). BC was able to dominate the game inside and even though Virginia was hot from beyond the arc, the points in the paint (36 vs 22) and the free throw differential (36 vs 20) were just too much for the Cavaliers.
Virginia senior Mamadi Diane had 24 points in his final game in a Cavalier uniform. He got a nice ovation from what few fans were in the Georgia Dome late at night when he was taken out of the game with 40 seconds remaining. His performance, as well as some hot shooting from Jamil Tucker and an average game from ACC Rookie of the Year Sylven Landesberg was not enough to overcome Rakim Sanders who went seven for 11 from the floor, good for 25 points and seven rebounds. Josh Southern also had a strong game, finishing with 13 points.
BC, who had about 10 people in the stands, will take on Duke tomorrow. They have already beaten the Blue Devils once this season and if Rice got whatever it was that kept him from having a good game out of his system, he could go off tomorrow. Rice seemed to have trouble handling the ball (as other players have all day--maybe it's the floor or the ball itself), and he wasn't looking for his shot all day.
Yes, Matt Ryan and Doug Flutie were in attendance and Bob Ryan was here to cover the game, but the stars couldn't help the sub-par atmosphere--maybe everyone was just exhausted from a long day of basketball, but it will be bumping tomorrow for the quarterfinals. Goodnight from Atlanta.