OK, stop us if you've heard this one before.
The young BC basketball team, tied, probably at 44-44, in the second half can do nothing down the stretch and suffers a painful loss.
Heard it before? Not surprising. It has happened four times in a row.
The Eagles were tied 44-44 at No. 19 Virginia and were hit with a 22-5 finish. They were tied 49-49 at home against Miami and were blitzed with a 14-0 run en route to what became a blowout.
That was the last week of January. February then started with the Eagles tied 44-44 at home against North Carolina State, before a 12-7 Wolfpack finish produced a 56-51 verdict. Then, at Georgia Tech, a team fighting BC to stay out of the cellar of the ACC, and the Eagles were tied -- you guessed it -- at 44-44, and the Yellow Jackets won 51-47.
"I think it is difficult with so many young guys who have never played college basketball before," coach Steve Donahue said after the Georgia Tech game, in what could be a recording he could just send in after most games. "They have come from some great, successful programs, and now for the first time having to deal with failure, in particular the physical part with just being overmatched at times.
"I think it is critical that the coaches and all of us stay positive at all times. This is not the end of the world; this is part of the process of building a program."
Donahue's team has lost six games in a row to fall to 7-16; and the road doesn't get any easier. The Eagles host No. 21 Florida State and then have to go to Virginia Tech, where the Hokies will be waiting to avenge their Jan. 14 loss to BC in Chestnut Hill.
In an attempt to neutralize the talent and experience gap his team suffers against most league opponents, Donahue has gone against his coaching philosophy and slowed the ball down. It has at least kept games close.
NOTES, QUOTES
--BC picked up its 16th loss of the season Feb. 4, losing its sixth game in a row with another tough loss, this one at Georgia Tech. That left the Eagles well ahead of the pace to record the most losses in the history of the program. The 1998-99 team, in Al Skinner's second year on the job, set a BC record with 21 losses, winning just six games with a decimated roster and snapping the program's previous all-time low of 20, set in 1989-90.
This team was at 16 losses with at least eight games left, counting the opener of the ACC tournament.
Only two BC teams have lost more than 18 games. Remember, records like this are more common in the recent decades because of the increased number of games.
--The five- and four-point losses to North Carolina State and Georgia Tech were BC's fourth and fifth single-digit losses of the season. Five of the seven losses have been by 10 points or less.
--BC is 2-14 when trailing at halftime this season. The Eagles were behind N.C. State by two, 25-23, and Georgia Tech by one, 20-19 at the break.
--The 47 points scored at Georgia Tech were one off its season low; the Eagles scored 46 against Massachusetts Nov. 21.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"A lot of times you would say that you came down to Georgia Tech on the road with all these freshmen and played a hard-fought game to the last possession, I think it is a step in the right direction. At some point you hope everything clicks with this group, and further as we will build this program, additional guys to help these guys." -- coach Steve Donahue after the Georgia Tech loss.
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
--vs. Florida State, Feb. 8
It's time to keep the ball slowed down as the Eagles host the very talented Seminoles. Florida State (16-6) is a balanced group, led by Michael Snaer's 13.8 points per game (through Feb. 5).
--at Virginia Tech, Feb. 12
The Hokies lost in Boston, but top scorer Erick Green missed that game with a knee injury. Green just suffered through a 3-for-11 shooting game over the weekend against Clemson, but Dorian Finney-Smith had 12 points and eight rebounds in the win.
FUTURES MARKET
It's tough to talk about a junior in this section, but Matt Humphrey, a transfer from Oregon, is the lone junior on this roster who figures to help next season, when all the freshmen will be sophomores. He scored 15 of BC's 47 points in the Feb. 4 loss at Georgia Tech to crawl over the 10 points-per-game barrier. But he was shooting just 34.5 percent from the floor, 31.3 percent from 3-point range.
PLAYER NOTES
--Freshman G Patrick Heckmann, fourth on the roster in scoring (9.1 points per game) and the author of a 32-point game early in the season, was out of the BC lineup with an illness that likely will keep him out for some time.
--Senior G John Cahill returned from a shoulder injury and saw action in both games the first week of February.
--BC had four players averaging 9-10 points per game through 23 games.
--Freshman G Lonnie Jackson scored 10 points in the losses to North Carolina State and Georgia Tech, but he was just 4 for 14 from the floor (2 for 12 from 3-point range).
--Freshman F Ryan Anderson had 11 rebounds against N.C. State and eight more at Georgia Tech, increasing his team-high rebounding average to 6.8 per game.
