Boston College defeated North Carolina in Chapel Hill 85-78. This is a huge win for this young squad. The last time a BC team knocked off the #1 ranked team was in 1994 in the NCAA Tournament versus UNC 75-72. The key BC's win the the outstanding defensive play by Josh Southern and Corey Raji down low helping to contain Hansbrough. Rice was also effective in holding All-American Ty Lawson to 10 points. As a team BC held UNC to 38% shooting from the floor.
Offensively, Rakim Sanders played phenomenal. Sanders finished with 22 points, including 4 three pointers. He also led the Eagles with 7 steals and had yet another amazing block on a fast break dunk attempt by North Carolina. Tyrese finished with 25 points and 8 assists while also doing a great job of leading the team and controlling the offensive tempo. The real surprise was freshman Reggie Jackson. Jackson added 17 points and hit some very big shots down the end. What makes his performance even more impressive is that this was his first ACC game, and it he came up huge. The ACC better watch out for this young talent.
Coach Al Skinner mentions in this post game press conference how the team really stressed playing their game and not letting UNC have their way pushing the ball up the court. Skinner is exactly right that this win means little if the team struggles the rest of the way, however I believe this win could become a big stepping stone for this squad. The Eagles could surprise a lot of folks this year, and hopefully this win sparks some life into the fan base and motivates the players for the rest of the season. Not bad for a team picked 2nd to last in the conference in the pre-season.
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