SB Nation Boston - Boston College 88, Indiana 76: Corey Raji Scores 1,000th Point As Eagles Prevail In ACC/Big Ten Challengehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48863/boston-fave.png2010-12-01T21:39:35-05:00http://boston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/16101322010-12-01T21:39:35-05:002010-12-01T21:39:35-05:00Boston College 88, Indiana 76: Corey Raji Scores 1,000th Point In Eagles' Win
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<p><b>CHESTNUT HILL - </b>Corey Raji scored his 1,000th career point in the first half and scored nine points as Boston College defeated Indiana 88-76 in the 11th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday night at Conte Forum.</p>
<p>"I thought it was a great college basketball game," said Boston College coach Steve Donahue. "I thought the energy in the building was great and both teams played terrific basketball."</p>
<p>The Eagles haven't lost in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, going 5-0 since joining the ACC back in 2005. The loss is Indiana's first of the season and its seventh in the annual interconference challenge that began in 1999.</p>
<p>Reggie Jackson finished with a game-high 27 points for Boston College and was very pleased with his team's shooting.</p>
<p>"Phenomenal, I'll take that any night," said Jackson, whose Eagles shot 50.9% from the field. "At fifty percent, I believe we can beat anybody in the nation."</p>
<p>Biko Paris tied a career-high with 19 points, Danny Rubin scored 10 points and both Joe Trapani and Josh Southern added nine points.</p>
<p>"They were getting a lot of balls to me," said Paris, who hit 6-of-11 shots and 3-of-7 threes. "It was really like a catch-and-shoot kind of game for us. Reggie and the rest of the guards, Gabe (Moton) and Danny, did a teriffic job finding us."</p>
<p>Christian Watford led the Hoosiers with 23 points. Maurice Creek scored 15 points and Verdell Jones III added 11 points in the losing effort. Jeremiah Rivers, son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, scored two points in 20 minutes for Indiana.</p>
<p>Boston College (5-2) and Indiana (6-1) were tied 4-4 one minute and 39 seconds in, but the Eagles went on a 19-6 run to take a 23-10 lead with 8:37 left in the first half. The Eagles maintained the pace and built the lead to 14 three times before taking a 43-29 advantage into halftime.</p>
<p>Raji became the 37th player in school history to score 1,000 points on a put-back under the basket with 5:23 left in the first half. He entered Wednesday night's game with 994 career points in 100 games at Boston College.</p>
<p>"I think that that stuff is great," Donahue said. "I think he should feel good about it, but I've never been a coach that even talked about it at all. I think it's something that Corey will have in his house when he's older and appreciate it a lot more now. That's nice, that's what it should be."</p>
<p>Raji didn't score his first basket of the game until the 14 minute mark on a straightaway jumper. Raji's second basket, a jumper from the corner of the key, came with 9:18 to play in the half.</p>
<p>After being fouled hard on the way to the basket, Raji had a chance to reach 1,000 career points at the free throw line. However, Raji missed the first but made the second, leaving him one point shy of the milestone. He ultimately reached it a few minutes later and finished the half with nine points.</p>
<p> "I thought he played a terrific first half," said Donahue. "Corey was playing so well against a physical team."</p>
<p>Raji did not play in the second half, as he hit his head on the aforementioned foul.</p>
<p>"He hit his head pretty hard, so we're going to evaluate him tomorrow," Donahue said. "My concern was, obviously, we need all of our guys."</p>
<p>Jackson had a game-high 11 points in the first half for Boston College. Paris scored eight points and both Trapani and Southern added six points a piece for the Eagles.</p>
<p>Watford scored 11 points for Indiana. Jones had six points and Creek added four points for the Hoosiers.</p>
<p>Boston College made 16-of-31 shots (51.6%) and hit 4-of-12 threes (33.3%) while Indiana connected on 11-of-28 shots (39.3%) and made 2-of-8 threes (25%) in the first half.</p>
<p>The Hoosiers scored the first eight points of the second half and worked away at the Eagles' lead, ultimately trimming their deficit to one point, 60-59, with seven minutes left. However, Trapani answered with a three at the other end, giving Boston College a 63-59 advantage.</p>
<p>"Indiana played so great at the beginning of the second half, and nothing was going right at that point" Donahue said. "I just thought we had great resolve at that point, just fighting through. I thought everybody had their feel on it with different plays, poise on the offense."</p>
<p>Jordan Hulls' pull-up jumper once again brought the Hoosiers within one at 63-62. However, Paris hit another three to give the Eagles some breathing room and a 66-62 lead.</p>
<p>"Not really," Paris said when asked if he was concerned about giving away the lead. "When you're at that point, you go with it. I knew, eventually, they were going to make a run, and we withstanded that run."</p>
<p>After another Indiana basket, Danny Rubin buried a three from the corner and Jackson made a reverse layup to put Boston College up 71-64 with 3:58 left to play, and the Eagles wouldn't look back.</p>
<p>"Basketball is a game of runs," said Paris. "We made a run in the first half, they came out and made a run (in the second half), and we made a run at the end. It's just about who makes the most runs and also who can withstand those runs, and we did that tonight."</p>
<p>Boston College made 28-of-55 shots and 10-of-24 three pointers (41.7%) and Indiana made 28-of-55 (50.9%) but only made 7-of-22 shots from beyond the arc (31.8%).</p>
<p>The Eagles had 32 rebounds, 17 assists, five steals and six turnovers. The Hoosiers totaled 27 rebounds, 15 assists, four steals and turned the ball over 10 times.</p>
<p>Boston College will face the University of Massachusetts in the battle for the Commonwealth Cup in the first annual Boston Tip-Off Classic at TD Garden on Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET, Comcast Sportsnet).</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/12/1/1849858/boston-college-88-indiana-76-corey-raji-scores-1000th-point-in-eaglesGethin Coolbaugh2010-12-01T20:08:42-05:002010-12-01T20:08:42-05:00Indiana Vs. Boston College: Eagles Lead Hoosiers 43-29 At Halftime
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<p><b>CHESTNUT HILL - </b>Corey Raji scored his 1,000th career point in the first half and finished the half with nine points as Boston College took a 43-29 lead over Indiana into the break in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Conte Forum.</p>
<p>Raji became the 37th player in school history to score 1,000 points on a put-back under the basket with 5:23 left in the first half of the Eagles' game against Indiana at Conte Forum.</p>
<p>Raji entered Wednesday night's game with 994 career points in 100 games at Boston College. He didn't score his first basket of the game until the 14 minute mark on a straightaway jumper. Raji's second basket, a jumper from the corner of the key, came with 9:18 to play in the half.</p>
<p>After being fouled hard on the way to the basket, Raji had a chance to reach 1,000 career points at the free throw line. However, Raji missed the first but made the second, leaving him one point shy of the milestone.</p>
<p>Reggie Jackson had a game-high 11 points in the first half for Boston College. Biko Paris scored eight points and both Joe Trapani and Josh Southern added six points a piece for the Eagles.</p>
<p>Christian Watford scored 11 points for Indiana. Verdell Jones II had six points and Maurice Creek added four points for the Hoosiers.</p>
<p>Boston College made 16-of-31 shots (51.6%) and hit 4-of-12 threes (33.3%) while Indiana connected on 11-of-28 shots (39.3%) and made 2-of-8 threes (25%) in the first half.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/12/1/1849748/indiana-hoosiers-vs-boston-college-eagles-game-update-halftimeGethin Coolbaugh2010-12-01T19:55:44-05:002010-12-01T19:55:44-05:00Indiana Vs. Boston College: Corey Raji Scores 1,000th Career Point
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<p><b>CHESTNUT HILL </b>- Boston College senior forward Corey Raji became the 37th player in school history to score 1,000 points on a put-back under the basket with 5:23 left in the first half of the Eagles' game against Indiana at Conte Forum.</p>
<p>Raji entered Wednesday night's game with 994 career points in 100 games at Boston College. He didn't score his first basket of the game until the 14 minute mark on a straightaway jumper. Raji's second basket, a jumper from the corner of the key, came with 9:18 to play in the half.</p>
<p>After being fouled hard on the way to the basket, Raji had a chance to reach 1,000 career points at the free throw line. However, Raji missed the first but made the second, leaving him one point shy of the milestone.</p>
<p>Boston College leads Indiana 37-27 with 3:20 remaining in the first half.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/12/1/1849724/indiana-vs-boston-college-corey-raji-scores-1000th-career-pointGethin Coolbaugh2010-12-01T18:54:53-05:002010-12-01T18:54:53-05:00Indiana Vs. Boston College: Hoosiers' Center Guy-Marc Michel Ruled Ineligible
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<p><b>CHESTNUT HILL</b> - Indiana lost the services of junior center Guy-Marc Michel on Wednesday when he was ruled ineligible to play by the NCAA.</p>
<p>Michel, a seven-footer, was told by the NCAA that he is "permanently ineligible to play" due to the fact that his five-year playing window has expired.</p>
<p>In 2006, Michel enrolled at a French university, which <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/2010/12/1/1849059/indiana-basketball-guy-marc-michel-ruled-ineligible-ncaa">according to an SB Nation report</a>, started his five years of eligibility. Unfortunately for Michel, he also violated another rule, according to SB Nation.</p>
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<p>"Normally this would not be too terribly problematic, given that he should still have one year left of eligibility for the 2010-11 season, but unfortunately there is also this problem: Michel was found to have violated his amateur status by playing for a French Pro-Am team SLUC Nancy, the punishment for which is, you guessed it, a one year suspension. So, with all of this information, the NCAA has decided that there is no way for the 7'1" 275 pound center can legally play for Indiana."</p>
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<p>As a result, Indiana and head coach Tom Crean must maintain his scholarship through the end of the season. Michel never played a single minute for Hoosiers, and after this news, he'll never get the chance.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/12/1/1849650/indiana-vs-boston-college-guy-marc-michel-ruled-ineligibleGethin Coolbaugh2010-12-01T18:42:27-05:002010-12-01T18:42:27-05:00Indiana Vs. Boston College: Greetings From Conte Forum
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<p><b>CHESTNUT HILL - </b>Boston College returns home from a three-game road trip to take on Indiana in the11th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge tonight at 7:15 p.m. ET (TV/Radio: ESPNU/WRKO).</p>
<p>The Eagles (4-2) won two of three games in the Old Spice Classic down in Kissimmee, Florida. Boston College defeated Texas A&M 67-65, lost to Wisconsin 65-66 and downed California 68-46 to finish third in the preseason tournament.</p>
<p>As for Indiana (6-0), head coach Tom Crean has the Hoosiers firing on all cylinders. Christian Watford is the Hoosiers' leading scorer, averaging 17 points per contest.</p>
<p>Entering tonight's match up, Boston College has two players approaching a major milestone. The first of which is senior forward Corey Raji, who is six points shy of 1,000 for his career with 994. Raji has played his entire career at Boston College, playing in 100 games with the Eagles.If Raji reaches the milestone, he will be the 37th player in school history to do so.</p>
<p>Senior forward Joe Trapani is also approaching the 1,000-point plateau, scoring 959 points in 70 games with the Eagles. Trapani arrived at Boston College as a sophomore after playing at the University of Vermont the year before.</p>
<p>It's very likely that Raji will score his 1,000th point tonight against Indiana, as he is averaging 11.5 points in six games this season. Trapani would need 41 points to reach 1,000 points tonight, and while possible, he probably won't reach the milestone tonight.</p>
<p>We've got a little over half an hour until game time here at Conte Forum, and I'll leave you with the probable starters for both teams.</p>
<p><b>Boston College</b>: Danny Rubin (Fr. - F), Joe Trapani (Sr. - F), Cortney Dunn (Sr. - C), Reggie Jackson (Jr. - G), Biko Paris (Sr. - G).</p>
<p><b>Indiana</b>: Tom Pritchard (Jr. - F), Christian Watford (So. - F), Verdell Jones III (Jr. - G), Maurice Creek (So. - G), Jordan Hulls (So. - G)</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/12/1/1849619/indiana-vs-boston-college-game-update-pregameGethin Coolbaugh2010-11-30T10:35:30-05:002010-11-30T10:35:30-05:00ACC/Big Ten Challenge 2010: Indiana, Boston College Meet Wednesday Night
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<p>Indiana has one of the nation's most storied basketball programs, but in recent years, its story has been more troublesome than triumphant.</p>
<p>From former Hoosiers coach Kelvin Sampson's numerous recruiting violations to new coach Tom Crean's struggle to get the program back on track, Indiana basketball has certainly seen better days.</p>
<p>Yet this season, Crean's third at the helm, it looks like Indiana is finally headed in the right direction. The Hoosiers are a perfect 6-0 entering their match up with Boston College at Conte Forum in the 11th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Wednesday night at 7:15 p.m. ET (ESPNU).</p>
<p>Boston College has faced Indiana three times and leads the all-time series, 2-1. The Eagles won their last meeting, 64-51, in 1996 in Orlando, Florida. The series began in the 1983-84, season with a 72-66 Hoosiers win.</p>
<p>Crean has led Indiana to victories over Florida Gulf Academy (88-60), Wright State (67-44), Mississippi Valley State (71-54), Evansville (67-54), N.C. Central (72-56) and Northwestern State (100-66) on the young season. </p>
<p>In their win over Northwestern State, the Hoosiers reach the triple digit mark in scoring for the first time in the Crean era. In three seasons at Indiana, Crean is 21-46 and a dreadful 5-31 against Big Ten opponents.</p>
<p>The Hoosiers have been led by the trio of <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/99890/christian-watford" class="sbn-auto-link">Christian Watford</a>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52294/verdell-jones-iii" class="sbn-auto-link">Verdell Jones III</a> and Maurice Creek. Watford leads the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game and also averages a team-best seven rebounds a game. Jones III is second in scoring, averaging 14.2 points and leads the team in steals with two per game. Creek is the only other player to average double-digit scoring for Indiana, averaging 11.3 points.</p>
<p>Boston College (4-2) enters Wednesday night's game having won two of three games in the Old Spice Classic. The <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/11/25/1836261/boston-college-vs-texas-a-m-game-stream-nov-25">Eagles defeated Texas A&M 67-65 in the tournament opener</a> but <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/11/26/1837116/wisconsin-vs-boston-college-old-spice-classic-game-stream-nov-26">lost to Wisconsin 65-55 in the semifinal round</a> before <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/11/28/1840400/boston-college-eagles-vs-california-golden-bears-old-spice-classic-game-streak">defeating California 68-46 in the third-place game on Sunday</a>.</p>
<p>Prior to the Old Spice Classic, the Eagles <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/11/12/1809256/boston-college-st-francis-game-stream-nov-12">defeated St. Francis (NY)</a>, <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/11/18/1817230/yale-at-boston-college-college-basketball-scores">lost to Yale</a> and <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2010/11/22/1829977/holy-cross-vs-boston-college-ncaa-basketball-scores-updates">topped Holy Cross</a> in their first three games at Conte Forum.</p>
<p>The Eagles have received tremendous contributions from junior guard Reggie Jackson, who has been their runaway MVP through six games. Jackson is averaging team-highs in scoring (17.7 points) and assists (4.3).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/25507/joe-trapani" class="sbn-auto-link">Joe Trapani</a> and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/25506/corey-raji" class="sbn-auto-link">Corey Raji</a> have also been solid contributors, with Trapani averaging 13 points and 5.8 rebounds and Raji averaging 11.5 points and a team-best 6.3 boards per game.</p>
<p>The transition to new coach Steve Donahue's style has been steady, but as expected, there have been some problems along the way. Several of Donahue's biggest changes to the Eagles' system is the transition of Jackson to point guard and his frequent first-half substitutions.</p>
<p>Jackson has been excelling at the point, scoring at will while still being able to set up his teammates. Donahue's many substitutions in the first half, regardless of the opponent, are based on his philosophy that subbing frequently in the first half will lead to fewer substitutions in the final 20 minutes. As he told the media, you can't lose a game by subbing too much in the first half, but you can in the second.</p>
<p>So far, Donahue's new methods have brought Boston College a solid 4-2 record. In reality, the Eagles were one bad half against Wisconsin away from being 5-1.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, they'll have their chance to win their fifth game on Wednesday night against Indiana before facing the University of Massachusetts in the Boston Tip-Off Classic on Saturday night at TD Garden.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2010/11/30/2325388/acc-big-ten-challenge-2010-indiana-boston-college-meet-wednesday-nightGethin Coolbaugh