BC Looks To Rebound At Maryland Tonight

The youth of the Boston College men's basketball team has been well-documented all year. After an awful start to the season that featured a new starting lineup in virtually every game and a few bad losses, the team responded with a strong start to the ACC schedule and has already exceeded their expectations this year in conference play. With the physical challenges overcome, the Eagles will now have their mental resolve tested. On the heels of their devastating last-second loss to Virginia Tech on Sunday, the Eagles travel to Maryland to face off with the Terrapins tonight. Instead of worrying about a potential carryover effect, head coach Steve Donahue  is optimistic that his team can overcome any letdown.

"I'm sure the guys will be ready to go," Donahue said. "We did a lot of good things [against Virginia Tech]. I think we can learn some things we can do better down the stretch, but I expect the guys to be fired up and ready to go."

BC will face a Maryland team that, on paper, appears to be having a down year. Despite boasting a 14-10 overall record, the Terrapins are just 4-6 in ACC play and have just two wins in their last eight games. They are also still attempting to recover from the recent loss of point guard Pe'Shon Howard, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice last week. Maryland does still have some talent on its team, however, including Terrell Stoglin, who leads the ACC with over 21 points per game.

"I think they're a good offensive team in the sense that they have a lot of guys who can put the ball in the basket," Donahue said. "Stoglin is obviously very explosive and scores in so many different ways. I think they have a lot of weapons, and they play a great schedule, which I don't think people realize. They're just playing what happens to be a very top-heavy schedule, and I think they're a very good basketball team."

The main issue that Donahue is concerned about, however, is rebounds. An obvious discrepancy on the boards led to the Eagles' defeat at Virginia Tech, and things don't get any easier with Maryland. The Terrapins average close to seven more rebounds per game than the Eagles do, and already have close to 300 offensive rebounds on the season, an issue that has plagued BC since day one.

"We talked about rebounding a lot going into last game, and I was really disappointed in it," Donahue said. "There were a couple things we looked at, and there were probably five or six rebounds that we should have had. We're not going to be 100 percent solid in that part of the game right now due to inexperience and lack of strength, but there are things we can do to get better, and we have done them for the most part."

Donahue also commented on some of the recent changes he has made to his rotation. Deirunas Visockas has seen his most significant playing time of the season in the last two games, while KC Caudill's minutes have dropped substantially. Donahue acknowledged a change in the team's game plan and rotation, but not as a result of poor play from any individual.

"We play Ryan Anderson and Dennis Clifford in most games as much as they can, and they're both playing well," Donahue said. "When we took one out, we went smaller. I think it's an opportunity for us to share the ball a little better and get open shots. We've been able to do that too, so that's the reason behind it. It isn't because [KC] isn't playing well, because he has been playing well in practice. But I like the way we've played on offense with one big."