A Rugged Foe: Wake Forest knows just what to expect from a physical Boston College team

Credit: AP Photo

L.D. Williams (42) will be challenged by the physical play of Boston College tonight.

By: By Dan Collins | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: February 09, 2010

As it turned out, Coach Dino Gaudio of Wake Forest didn't even have to deliver the message he had planned for Sunday's practice.

Seniors Ish Smith and L.D. Williams delivered it for him.

"Ish Smith raises his hand and starts talking about Boston College and how bad they beat us up there two years ago," Gaudio said. "They crushed us. And he talked about how tough their guys are and how physical they play.

"And all of a sudden, L.D. starts talking. And when we've got those players expressing themselves about the next opponent, I think it means even more than when we as coaches say it."

So although Gaudio has his concerns going into today's 7 p.m. game against Boston College at Joel Coliseum, the possibility that his team might still be basking in Saturday's overtime victory at Virginia is not one of them.

Smith and Williams, between them, have played 220 college games, more than enough to know what can happen to a team not ready to play. And they've played against BC four times, enough to know that even with leading scorer Joe Trapani expected to miss the game because of illness, the Eagles are a brawny, physical team.

Trapani, a 6-8 junior who averages 14.4 points and 6.5 rebounds, did not make the trip from Boston yesterday. A team spokesman said he will not play tonight.

Wake Forest is 16-5 and 6-3 in ACC play. BC is 12-11 and 3-6.

"We know that Boston College's record doesn't indicate how good a team they are," Williams said. "Reggie Jackson is obviously one of the better scorers in the league. Rakim Sanders and Corey Raji are big bodies in there. We know they're going to give us their best game.

"This is a good basketball team."

Williams said that the younger players on the team, particularly freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart, have been warned of what to expect. Even though the Deacons defeated the Eagles handily twice last season 93-76 in Winston-Salem and 83-63 in Boston, Williams recalled how physical both games were.

He also remembers the debacle in Boston two years ago, when the Eagles blew the Deacons out of the Conte Forum 112-73.

"Boston College, they don't back down from anybody," Williams said. "This is one of those teams that will come across the court and they'll punch you in the mouth to see what you got. If you taste your blood a little bit and back down, then they're going to stick it to you.

"But if you go right back at them, it's going to be a really good game."

Jackson, a 6-3 sophomore who doesn't usually start, averages 13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds. Raji, a 6-6 junior forward, ranks second in the ACC (behind Al-Farouq Aminu of Wake Forest) with 3.5 offensive rebounds a game.

"And of course there's their system," Gaudio said. "We're going to have to guard that tight flex, and that's going to be a challenge.

"It'll be a grind-out game because they're going to run their offense, and we're going to have to execute in the halfcourt, which we did well last year against them."

dcollins@wsjournal.com

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