Boston College women’s basketball head coach Cathy Inglese does not want to play Syracuse on Saturday in the first round of the Big East tournament. The first reason is simple – Syracuse head coach Keith Cieplicki coached under Inglese at both Vermont and Boston College, and the two remain good friends. The second reason, though, could prove to be much more problematic for the Eagles.

When the two teams met less than a week ago, the Orangewomen dictated the pace and arguably outplayed BC down low before falling to the highly favored Eagles, 59-52. The two teams now play the first game of the Big East tournament, tomorrow at noon at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn.

‘We got a great draw for being the last seed,’ SU senior point guard Julie McBride said. ‘I know right now BC doesn’t want to play us. I don’t think any team would want to play us. We’re the type of team that can beat teams. We’re not a team where it’s going to be an easy win (for the opponent).’

Last Saturday at Manley Field House, the Orangewomen nearly sent McBride out a winner on Senior Day. Cieplicki forced his team to slow the tempo, which frustrated the Eagles. In that game, BC played without star point guard Amber Jacobs, who was out with an injury.

Jacobs will play tomorrow and Cieplicki knows that will make a difference. Freshman Sarah Marshall pleased Inglese with her play in place of Jacobs, but her lack of experience prevented the Eagles from pushing the pace. Inglese said BC plans to push the ball a little more with Jacobs back running the point. She also hasn’t ruled out a press or changing defenses to speed the game up a little.

‘I don’t know if they’re going to come out and play fast or slow because they’ve done both lately,’ Inglese said. ‘We had some shots that normally fall that didn’t, but we have to be on target and be patient.’

For McBride, SU’s career scoring leader, it could be her last game in a Syracuse uniform. She’s out to prove that Syracuse is better than its No. 12 seed indicates. The Orangewomen were the last team to earn a spot in the tournament.

Junior Chineze Nwagbo agrees with McBride’s assessment. But both acknowledge that people are only going to judge the Orangewomen by what they do on the court. And with the exception of their close game with BC, their performances of late do not back their claims.

‘We’re in the middle of the pack like we’ve always been, the four years that I’ve been here,’ McBride said. ‘We didn’t get Ws, and sometimes wins and losses don’t show how good a team is. But your record is the only thing that shows whether you’re in the top or the bottom or the middle of the Big East.’

Cieplicki believes that the difference-maker in a close game could be how well the Orangewomen shoot the ball. He said if SU can shoot 40 percent from the floor, it has a good chance to win. Unlike most opponents that Syracuse faces, BC doesn’t present an enormous challenge down low because it plays a young frontcourt which includes two freshmen.

‘As opposed to going 1 for 5 or 2 for 8, you just have to go 3 for 8 or 2 for 5,’ Cieplicki said. ‘It’s going to come down to making a couple of shots. Last game was a one possession game. We just have to make the shot in the last five minutes.’

Published on March 4, 2004 at 12:00 pm