Kansas Kos BC

Kansas 85, Boston College 60 F

Boston College’s nationally televised ESPN match up against Kansas this Saturday gave the Eagles a much needed opportunity to sound off on the national stage. But instead of the roar they had hoped to make before entering the ACC portion of their schedule, they were lucky to have registered a whisper in the ears of the pollsters.

Coming in with a number 3 ranking nationally, Kansas’s reputation was cemented; however, its victory stemmed not from its likely source, all-american junior forward Brandon Rush (12 points), but from the strong interior play of forward Darrell Arthur (22 points and 7 rebounds) and center Darnell Jackson (25 points and 9 rebounds). The combination of Arthur and Jackson had BC’s post defenders, mainly senior centers Tyrelle Blair and John Oates, hanging on for dear life as the two Kansas forwards helped the Jayhawks pull away in the second half.

BC’s effort was led by the guard play of junior Tyrese Rice (20 points) and freshman Rakim Sanders (21 points). It was Rice early who with an 18 point first half helped the Eagles stay competitive right until halftime. But with growing foul trouble, which forced Rice to spend over 7 minutes of the second half on the bench, Kansas constant ability to score in the paint couldn’t be overcome even with Sander’s slick shooting. Kansas’s lead which BC had cut to 14 with 8 minutes left quickly ballooned to 25 before the final whistle.

Speed, defense, and Kansas’s deep bench were too much for the Eagles as the game went on. Led defensively by the ball-hawking play of guard Mario Chalmers, Chalmers made BC freshman guard Biko Paris look overmatched in Paris’s first step on to the national stage.

The game, which was sold out, did not have the feel one could expect that brought a national championship contender to the Heights. The void of excitement that students, who are on winter break, left was not filled by those who were in attendance.

For a game that BC was not expected to win, a loss does not set back their season drastically; however, the margin of defeat, 25 points, eliminated any opportunity for their national image to grow.