UW-Milwaukee shocks BC: Another upset on Horizon?

VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
CLEVELAND -- On Friday, Boston College and Wisconsin-Milwaukee players engaged in a short moment of machismo in the hallway outside their locker rooms.
Saturday, it was the Panthers who got to flex their muscles in celebration.
Milwaukee, champions of the Horizon League and 12th seed in the Chicago Regional, pulled off its second upset of the NCAA Tournament at the Wolstein Center, knocking off the No. 4 seed Eagles, 83-75.
Next up is a Sweet 16 game against Big Ten champion Illinois.
Pre-game intimidation
Senior Ed McCants, the Horizon League player of the year, said part of the Panthers' motivation came from a distinct understanding that Boston College wasn't impressed by his team's win over Alabama on Thursday.
"[Friday] they did a little staredown thing when we were walking past them [in the hallway]," McCants said. "You can always [sense] it -- they don't respect you. They were walking by like, 'Who are these guys?' That's fine -- everybody always says that and every game we'll show you who we are."
Once the game started, so did the trash talking, which led to a lot of fouls -- 48, including an intentional foul call on Milwaukee -- and a technical on McCants.
"I would say the physical play and the chatter went both ways," Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl said.
And it all seemed to play into Milwaukee's favor. The Panthers led 41-37 at halftime and maintained the lead for all of the second half, save for two ties and two Boston College leads.
The last advantage for the Eagles, 75-74, came with 1 minute, 46 seconds remaining on a pair of foul shots by Jared Dudley.
James Wright answered with two free throws, giving Milwaukee the lead for good, with 1:32 to go. Boston College committed a turnover on its next possession, and the Panthers' Adrian Tigert scored a layup with 51.9 seconds to go for a three-point lead.
Play of the game
McCants then made the kind of hustle play that has epitomized Milwaukee's tournament run. Sean Marshall attempted a 3-point shot from the top of the circle, which bounced far off the rim. McCants outraced a Boston College player to the ball, secured possession and as he leaped out of bounds called for and received a timeout.
That set up a situation where the Eagles had to foul. Chris Hill sank two and Joah Tucker, who finished with a team-high 23 points, made 3-of-4.
McCants again referenced the trash talking at the start of the game as a source of inspiration for the Panthers.
"We wanted to make a point that we weren't going to be pushed around," he said. "If you want to come on and talk trash to a team that needs energy to play, you want to come on and talk trash to a team that's already intense, it's going to make for a long game.
"We need energy, we need motivation on our press and for 40 minutes if we have that it's going to make it that much easier for us."
Except for the first three minutes, when the Eagles (25-5) jumped out to an 11-0 lead, Milwaukee was able to play its game.
The Panthers (26-5) went to a variety of presses and managed to tie the score at 14. They led by as many as seven points before Boston College closed to four at halftime.
"I thought the press was working effectively in the first half," said Pearl, "but in the second half we got a little fatigued."
Force inside
Milwaukee was 7-for-12 from 3-point range in the first half, then looked inside to Tucker in the second half when the Eagles extended their defense to the arc. The 6-foot-5 junior scored 16 points in the second half.
"I was able to knock down some 3-point shots, but I know my bread-and-butter is the inside game," said Tucker. "I feel like I can't be stopped when I get to the basket."
The Panthers were also able to maintain their lead with a sterling performance at the foul line, 20-of-22.
Pearl said he would characterize the win as an upset.
"Absolutely. Boston College might be the best team in the country," he said. "They were 20-0 at one point [this season].
"[It was] the Horizon League playing the Big East. We were not afraid and we never doubted for a second we could win if we played well."
Following the game, McCoy didn't seem to want to leave the floor. He broke down on the bench and had to be consoled by an assistant coach, then walked around the court before standing in front of the Milwaukee fans, flexing his muscles.
"It was just an adrenaline rush of happiness," he said. "I've got a lot of fans up there [in the stands]. My nickname is 'Flex' and they tell me if I get going they want to see my muscles. So that was for them."
And probably, maybe a bit subconsciously, it was for Boston College, too.