Photo by: Joe Sullivan
Holy War On Hardwood Rematch Sets Tone For Next Checkpoint
February 15, 2022 | Men's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
Earl Grant is only looking forward to the next game on the schedule
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - A change occurs around the middle of February in the college basketball season. A once unfathomable reality starts to take root as the end of the season focuses into view. The unthinkable conversation from October and November is now fully a part of daily life, and each game is one closer to a time when seniors are forced to savor each moment before they graduate into professional careers both on and off the court.
Reflections take hold, and season retrospectives creep into the discussion for both coaches and their teams as they steamroll towards an inevitable conclusion. Everyone - tournament contenders, bubble teams, upstart rebuilders and even the teams who failed to live up to expectations - burn to finish strong, and their checkpoints, whether reached or missed over the season, all point towards Cinderella stories once harbored only in fantastical dreams.
Litmus tests exist everywhere, and for some, there's no better way to address progress than by revisiting an old matchup against a repeat opponent. At Boston College, head coach Earl Grant has never been about truly looking backwards. Not even as a rematch against Notre Dame looms on Wednesday against an opponent that currently leads the league, but lost its first conference game of the season by 16 to the Eagles.
"I think you can go back and look at that game," Grant said, "and you can just kind of schematically see what you did well while seeing what they were trying to do and try to take something away. But it was a long time ago. Both teams have had a chance to develop in their own, unique ways, and it's going to be a road game. So it'll be different."
That first meeting against Notre Dame already feels like ancient history compared to Wednesday's anticipated matchup at Purcell Pavilion. The world was very different from the one facing society. People weren't weather weary from the cold or snow. Christmas sat on the horizon despite a rapid, on-rushing calendar, and both teams looked to gain traction and momentum after playing through the thick of a non-conference schedule.
Notre Dame entered Conte Forum having dropped three of its last four games, with consecutive losses against Texas A&M and Illinois. The lone win over that stretch coming against Division II's Chaminade as part of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Another loss to Saint Mary's rounded out the Fighting Irish's trip to Las Vegas for the relocated bracket, but returning to South Bend didn't do much to stunt the negative emotions before the ACC-Big Ten Challenge loss to the Illini.
BC likewise needed to prove itself with a conference win, but entered the game in a very different spot after a convincing win over USF. It came three days after a 13-point win over Columbia, and the wins pushed the Eagles back over .500 after twin losses to Rhode Island bookended a seven-point loss to Utah at the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach.Â
One thing the game did offer was an opportunity to showcase BC's new edge. A Friday night, national television audience tuned in, and BC, armed with over 6,000 screaming Sickos at its home arena, jumped out to a 10-point lead at halftime and never looked back. James Karnik's double-double established him as a true ACC center, but his 17-point, 13-rebound night was especially special because he seemingly couldn't miss either on the floor or at the rim. He added two blocks and two steals while Quinten Post offered 13 points and six boards off the bench.
Five players scored in double figures in that game, and four players grabbed at least four boards. Makai Ashton-Langford and his brother DeMarr each had four assists, and only one player committed more than two turnovers. Nobody reached foul trouble, and six players had at least one steal on the defensive end.
"In that game against Notre Dame, we had both our defense and our offense clicking," Grant said, "and that's when we're really, really good."
That win over Notre Dame was a special night for Grant and the Eagles. It didn't change any preseason prediction and didn't erase the challenges presented to either team, but it at least restored good feelings and vibrations to a program that, in a way, needed a signature, early season sign of its progress.
As the season moved on, both teams went in different directions. The experienced, veteran Notre Dame team laden with six seniors and a graduate transfer finally shook its November and December doldrums in a win over Kentucky. Despite a loss to Indiana, a six-game winning streak over mostly ACC opponents sent the Fighting Irish rocketing into the league's top tier. They eventually lost to Duke, but dueling three-game winning streaks included two wins over both Louisville and N.C. State, while a road win over Miami helped move the club back into a tie for first place in the league.
BC lacked that same cohesiveness, and a roster with more than a half-dozen newcomers finally ran into trouble down the stretch in the non-conference and into league play, but righted the ship against Clemson and Virginia Tech. But the undeniable challenges of laying the foundation for the future were evident in disappointing finishes dotting the month of January.
"We've defended the way that we defended in that game against Notre Dame," Grant said, "and throughout conference play, we've been pretty consistent defensively. But I think now I'm just waiting to see our defense and our offense come together on the same night. Our defense has been consistent, and we're working to make sure we can continue to improve to become a confident offensive team as well."
That's why Wednesday is a rematch on paper only. Both Notre Dame and BC are different teams from the start of the season, and the game itself rides on their ability to execute a game plan against one another. Trends exist on a day-to-day basis, but nothing from a game against UNC or Duke or Pittsburgh dictates the game flow of a matchup against Notre Dame. It's individualized and unique, and much like the matchup in December, it leaves plenty of unknown as BC looks to complete a season sweep over a team that's unquestionably emerging as one of its biggest conference rivals.
"We've gotten better," Grant said, "and we've been consistent every night. Some nights we have really good offense, and we're making shots and are very efficient [on defense]. But we haven't consistently had both [offense and defense] happen at the same time. I'm excited that we get to continue to practice and work towards that. It's a full season, and we are trying to reach our full maturity. There are going to be opportunities, and we have a great opportunity on Wednesday in South Bend, and with a couple of more games in a short period of time, we'll able to see within the next seven days where we are."
BC and Notre Dame will tip-off on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Purcell Pavilion. The game can be seen on national television on ESPNU with streaming available through the network's online platform. Radio broadcast is also available through the Boston College Sports Network from Learfield heard locally in Boston at WEEI 850 AM.
Reflections take hold, and season retrospectives creep into the discussion for both coaches and their teams as they steamroll towards an inevitable conclusion. Everyone - tournament contenders, bubble teams, upstart rebuilders and even the teams who failed to live up to expectations - burn to finish strong, and their checkpoints, whether reached or missed over the season, all point towards Cinderella stories once harbored only in fantastical dreams.
Litmus tests exist everywhere, and for some, there's no better way to address progress than by revisiting an old matchup against a repeat opponent. At Boston College, head coach Earl Grant has never been about truly looking backwards. Not even as a rematch against Notre Dame looms on Wednesday against an opponent that currently leads the league, but lost its first conference game of the season by 16 to the Eagles.
"I think you can go back and look at that game," Grant said, "and you can just kind of schematically see what you did well while seeing what they were trying to do and try to take something away. But it was a long time ago. Both teams have had a chance to develop in their own, unique ways, and it's going to be a road game. So it'll be different."
That first meeting against Notre Dame already feels like ancient history compared to Wednesday's anticipated matchup at Purcell Pavilion. The world was very different from the one facing society. People weren't weather weary from the cold or snow. Christmas sat on the horizon despite a rapid, on-rushing calendar, and both teams looked to gain traction and momentum after playing through the thick of a non-conference schedule.
Notre Dame entered Conte Forum having dropped three of its last four games, with consecutive losses against Texas A&M and Illinois. The lone win over that stretch coming against Division II's Chaminade as part of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Another loss to Saint Mary's rounded out the Fighting Irish's trip to Las Vegas for the relocated bracket, but returning to South Bend didn't do much to stunt the negative emotions before the ACC-Big Ten Challenge loss to the Illini.
BC likewise needed to prove itself with a conference win, but entered the game in a very different spot after a convincing win over USF. It came three days after a 13-point win over Columbia, and the wins pushed the Eagles back over .500 after twin losses to Rhode Island bookended a seven-point loss to Utah at the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach.Â
One thing the game did offer was an opportunity to showcase BC's new edge. A Friday night, national television audience tuned in, and BC, armed with over 6,000 screaming Sickos at its home arena, jumped out to a 10-point lead at halftime and never looked back. James Karnik's double-double established him as a true ACC center, but his 17-point, 13-rebound night was especially special because he seemingly couldn't miss either on the floor or at the rim. He added two blocks and two steals while Quinten Post offered 13 points and six boards off the bench.
Five players scored in double figures in that game, and four players grabbed at least four boards. Makai Ashton-Langford and his brother DeMarr each had four assists, and only one player committed more than two turnovers. Nobody reached foul trouble, and six players had at least one steal on the defensive end.
"In that game against Notre Dame, we had both our defense and our offense clicking," Grant said, "and that's when we're really, really good."
That win over Notre Dame was a special night for Grant and the Eagles. It didn't change any preseason prediction and didn't erase the challenges presented to either team, but it at least restored good feelings and vibrations to a program that, in a way, needed a signature, early season sign of its progress.
As the season moved on, both teams went in different directions. The experienced, veteran Notre Dame team laden with six seniors and a graduate transfer finally shook its November and December doldrums in a win over Kentucky. Despite a loss to Indiana, a six-game winning streak over mostly ACC opponents sent the Fighting Irish rocketing into the league's top tier. They eventually lost to Duke, but dueling three-game winning streaks included two wins over both Louisville and N.C. State, while a road win over Miami helped move the club back into a tie for first place in the league.
BC lacked that same cohesiveness, and a roster with more than a half-dozen newcomers finally ran into trouble down the stretch in the non-conference and into league play, but righted the ship against Clemson and Virginia Tech. But the undeniable challenges of laying the foundation for the future were evident in disappointing finishes dotting the month of January.
"We've defended the way that we defended in that game against Notre Dame," Grant said, "and throughout conference play, we've been pretty consistent defensively. But I think now I'm just waiting to see our defense and our offense come together on the same night. Our defense has been consistent, and we're working to make sure we can continue to improve to become a confident offensive team as well."
That's why Wednesday is a rematch on paper only. Both Notre Dame and BC are different teams from the start of the season, and the game itself rides on their ability to execute a game plan against one another. Trends exist on a day-to-day basis, but nothing from a game against UNC or Duke or Pittsburgh dictates the game flow of a matchup against Notre Dame. It's individualized and unique, and much like the matchup in December, it leaves plenty of unknown as BC looks to complete a season sweep over a team that's unquestionably emerging as one of its biggest conference rivals.
"We've gotten better," Grant said, "and we've been consistent every night. Some nights we have really good offense, and we're making shots and are very efficient [on defense]. But we haven't consistently had both [offense and defense] happen at the same time. I'm excited that we get to continue to practice and work towards that. It's a full season, and we are trying to reach our full maturity. There are going to be opportunities, and we have a great opportunity on Wednesday in South Bend, and with a couple of more games in a short period of time, we'll able to see within the next seven days where we are."
BC and Notre Dame will tip-off on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Purcell Pavilion. The game can be seen on national television on ESPNU with streaming available through the network's online platform. Radio broadcast is also available through the Boston College Sports Network from Learfield heard locally in Boston at WEEI 850 AM.
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