Usually, 25 seconds in any sporting event probably won't erase a strong performance overall, but that's exactly what happened on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles visited UNC as nearly 20-point underdogs, but found themselves up by four with 25.4 seconds remaining.
An inability to inbound the ball on three separate occasions ultimately forced OT, where the Tar Heels pulled away, 102-96.
BC fell to 9-11 overall and a dismal 1-8 in the ACC.
For almost 40 minutes, it looked like the players had Earl Grant's back as chatter about his job intensifies from a very pissed off fan base, coming out with an intensity not seen since the Cayman Island Classics in November. But, he ultimately failed them on this day with a severe lack of creativity in those inbounding moments where the Eagles could have closed it out.
Leading 89-85 with 25.4 seconds left after a lefty Josh Beadle (14 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) floater, it appeared BC was going to have its best win of the season. But, Chas Kelley was called for a 5 second violation on the inbound with BC still holding a timeout.
"Maybe length, I don't know. Chas Kelley had just checked back in. Hadn't been in for 10 minutes. I'm not sure," Grant said of the first inbounds issue. "We never have issues getting the ball in. So, today, who knows? I gotta watch the film and see what happened."
UNC tied the game with 12.9 seconds remaining. In another odd sequence, BC was slow getting it up the floor and after letting bunch of time run off the clock, Grant called a timeout with just 4.4 seconds left.
"(Josh) Beadlie had been cramping the last minute of the game. He hadn't;t been able to guard nobody. He had been cramping," said Grant of his reasoning for the timeout there instead of just going for the win in the moment. "The play before, we had to play 5-on-4. I couldn't call a timeout because we didn't have the ball. So, I was really trying to help him get back under control so we could actually execute the right way."
Instead, BC never even got a shot off and turned it over with 1.4 left on the clock. A UNC desperation heave just inside half court didn't go and the teams went to OT. BC hung for a bit in the extra five minute session, but the Tar Heels pulled away after some poor offensive execution.
Donald Hand - who had monster game with 26 points and six rebounds (5-8 from 3) - barely touched the ball in the overtime and was visibly frustrated after not seeing the ball during the final possession in regulation.
"I would love to see him take more shots (in the OT) if they didn't do such a good job of denying him," said Grant. "We ran some plays for him. They put two to the ball and so we were going somewhere else with the ball. That's why we were able to score. He just wasn't able to score."
Aside from those final moments, this was unquestionably heading towards being BC's best performance of the season, given how ugly things had been lately. Instead, it's more fodder for those that want Grant out.
Dion Brown had a big first half and finished with 20 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Chad Venning had 17 points on the night, but somehow only one rebound at 6'9," 270lbs. UNC had five guys in double figures, with R.J. Davis leading the way (23 points).
As a team, the Eagles were 14-24 from three and shot 54.5% from the field. UNC was 6-16 and 55.6%. Interior defense wasn't in the cards on either side, with the Tar Heels racking up 58 points in the paint and BC managing 42 of their own. BC also got out-rebounded 36-23. There was a big discrepancy at the free throw line (UNC 26-33, BC 10-14), but there was no excuse for the Eagles to choke this one away.
BC is off until next Saturday when they'll host Florida State at 2:00 p.m. now looking to end a six-game losing streak.
