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Boston College limps tournament to face Texas Tech

Mar 15, 2007 - 1:33 PM Texas Tech (21-12) at Boston College (20-11) 12:25 pm EDT

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Boston College has had a tough time finding wins down the stretch.

The seventh-seeded Eagles (20-11), losers of five of their last seven games, limp into a first-round NCAA Tournament East Region matchup with 10th-seeded Texas Tech and coach Bob Knight on Thursday.

The Golden Eagles were leading the ACC in February before srtuggling down the stretch and finishing fourth in the conference. Most of the struggles came after forward Sean Williams, the team's best defensive player, was dismissed for a violation of team rules.

Senior Jared Dudley, voted Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, averages 19.3 points and 8.5 rebounds to pace Boston College, which has made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons.

The Red Raiders (21-12) won six of eight games to close the season and secure an at-large bid after suffering through a five-game losing streak from January 27-February 10. They lost to Kansas State, 66-45, in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals.

Texas Tech features two high-scoring guards. Jarrius Jackson averages 20.2 points and backcourt mate Martin Zeno adds 16.5 points. The Red Raiders are fourth in the nation in 3-point shooting, connecting on 41.6 percent of their attempts.

This is the fourth time in six seasons that Knight has taken Texas Tech to the NCAAs. The Red Raiders lost to West Virginia in the regional semifinals in 2005.

The winner will likely face second-seeded Georgetown in the second round.