The surnames Dudley and Rice are quickly creeping into the Boston sports consciousness to take their place alongside Brady, Belicheck, Ramirez and Ortiz as marks of excellence. Senior forward Jared Dudley and sophomore guard Tyrese Rice have led Boston College all season long, each averaging double figures in scoring and bringing skill and flair to the Eagles’ lineup. The duo proved the difference in BC’s tussle with Texas Tech in first-round action Thursday, with Rice leading all scorers with 26 and Dudley adding 19 in the 84-75 win.
Texas Tech Head Coach Bobby Knight may have more wins than any other college coach, but he had no strategy sound enough to stop Al Skinner’s not-so-secret weapons.
Dudley has played in every game since he shipped off to Boston from his native San Diego in 2003. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Dudley was named ACC player of the year after averaging 19 points and eight rebounds in his senior season, stepping into the spotlight left by Craig Smith, who graduated in 2006 and now stars for the innesota Timberwolves. He has consistently logged 20-plus-point efforts throughout the year – including a 30-point, 13-rebound explosion against Virginia Tech on Feb. 23 – and will certainly draw the attention of Big East player of the year Jeff Green Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem. The clash of the conference colossuses should renew the rivalry between the two Jesuit schools that has dissipated since Boston College left the Big East ranks in 2005.
Rice provides the flash of lightning to complement Dudley’s forceful thunder. The backcourt wizard has the job of feeding Dudley down low, dishing out 175 assists on the year. His first-round performance shows, however, that Rice is fully capable of taking the game into his own hands. Rice stands 6-foot-1 and can run the floor and rack up points thanks to his rapid release. The Richmond native set the Virginia boy’s record after sinking 314 three-pointers during his high school career at L.C. Bird High. Rice joined Dudley on the 2007 all-ACC team and headlined a vaunted cast of rookies in the conference last season. Stopping Rice may be more critical to downing the Eagles than limiting Dudley. Although Dudley scored his usual 20 against North Carolina in the ACC championship game, the Tar Heels held Rice to five points to come away with a 71-56 win. UNC freshman phenom Ty Lawson, one of the few guards who managed to stop Rice all season, referred to the BC court general as the “heart of the team.” The task for Hoya guards Jon Wallace and Jessie Sapp is to stop that heart from beating.
