Wahoos at BC tonight in a ‘must-win’ situation

By Jerry Ratcliffe

It wouldn’t hurt Virginia to come out of the locker room with its hair on fire tonight at Boston College (9 p.m., ESPNU).

This is a classic “trap game” for the Cavaliers like it is most years at BC. This time it’s different, though, because the stakes are high for UVA. Win this one, stay in the NCAA Tournament conversation.

Lose it, and the Wahoos are on the bubble or even off the bubble into No Man’s Land according to some, perhaps out of the projected 68-team field.

Yeah, I know, I know, BC is 15-12 this season, 6-10 in the ACC. So what’s the worry?

Virginia is 6-6 in games away from Charlottesville. Virginia hasn’t scored 50 points in a game since Feb. 13 and lost that game at home by 11.

Vegas Insider has the game as Virginia anywhere from a 1.5-point favorite to a 1.5-point underdog, depending on where you shop. Those guys aren’t dummies.

The problem is, on paper, the Cavaliers should win this one hands down. Well, that’s what they said about this time last February when UVA traveled up to Chestnut Hill, another dreary, rainy day in Beantown. It’s BC basketball. Nobody cares. Boston’s sporting public is more concerned about what the Celtics and Bruins are doing, what the Patriots’ draft board looks like than what’s going on over at the BC campus tonight.

The atmosphere at Conte Forum isn’t exactly electric. Last time I was there, the UVA Club of Boston in attendance was much more vocal than BC’s home crowd.

It’s 9 o’clock on a weeknight, nobody’s paying attention, can’t we just take a nap?

Virginia better not be napping. That’s exactly what happened last year. Pretty much the same circumstances and guess what?

Boston College 63, Virginia 48.

The Cavaliers shot 32 percent, 19 percent from the arc. BC made 52 percent of its shots.

There’s a reason Virginia owns a 4-5 record at Chestnut Hill, and it ain’t because BC has been better.

UVA is presently third in the ACC heading into tonight’s game, with an 11-6 conference mark. It likely won’t catch frontrunners North Carolina (14-3) and Duke (12-4). The Cavaliers mission is to not get caught by Clemson and Wake (both 10-7).

BC coach Earl Grant knows what it takes to beat Virginia, and just in case he forgot, Hubert Davis drew him a map last Saturday when Davis copied the plan of successfully defending what has become a stagnant Cavaliers’ offense of late.

Cling to 3-point shooter Isaac McKneely like your life depends on it, because it does. Pay attention to the other 3-point shooter, Jake Groves. Once you’ve removed them as threats, it should be easier to slough off of the rest of UVA’s players and clog up the driving lanes so that dynamic Reece Beekman can’t beat you by himself.

Defenses are pretty much daring Andrew Rohde and Ryan Dunn — or anyone remaining — to shoot it. Jordan Minor needs to do some damage inside, but is that enough?

Tony Bennett keeps talking about how his defense keeps his team in the game, but good defense alone isn’t getting it done. At some point, Virginia needs to find an offensive spark, or this team’s postseason fortunes seem doomed.