Pacific may be in deep trouble

The University of the Pacific men's basketball team had hopes of drawing Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

''We hear a lot about Gonzaga out here, so we were hoping maybe to get a chance to play them," coach Bob Thomason said yesterday by phone from Stockton, Calif., where Pacific is located.

''They're a top mid-major team and that would've been a great matchup for us," said Christian Maraker, a 6-foot-9-inch senior from Sweden who ranks as Pacific's leading scorer (17.2 points a game) and rebounder (8.9).

Gonzaga, however, earned a No. 3 seed opposite 14th-seeded Xavier in the Oakland region.

Nevertheless, the mood at Pacific's selection show party was festive. The Tigers (24-7), who had clinched an automatic berth with a 78-72 victory over Long Beach State in the Big West tournament championship game Saturday night, were eager to learn of their seeding, site, and opponent.

''By the time we got back from Anaheim, it was about 2:30, and the show was on at 3 o'clock," Thomason said. ''We had some friends, family, and boosters there, right around 60 people, and so we watched it and enjoyed it."

But when Pacific was named a 13 seed and paired with No. 4 seed Boston College in the Minneapolis Regional -- setting up a first-round game at Salt Lake City Thursday afternoon -- the soiree ceased to be so festive.

''I stopped enjoying it," Thomason said. ''I'm on the voting board [of the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll] and I've been voting for them all year, so I know how good they are."

But for BC, the question is: How good are the Tigers?

Very good, as it turns out.

''Obviously, they're a quality basketball team," BC associate coach Bill Coen said. ''They're an experienced team and they've got the Player of the Year in the Big West Conference, he's an extremely skilled frontcourt player, and they've got two senior guards [Johnny Gray and Mike Webb] who are both terrific scorers and good off the dribble.

''I think their style of play can create some mismatches, particularly in the frontcourt, because they've got guys who can step away from the basket."

Led by Maraker, that Player of the Year, the Tigers earned their third straight NCAA bid after losing seven seniors (four starters) from last year's 27-4 squad that became the first in league history to earn an NCAA at-large berth. Pacific advanced to the second round by posting an upset over Pittsburgh. It was the second year in a row Pacific had upset a Big East opponent; it beat Providence two years ago.

It didn't escape Maraker or teammates that they are matched up against a former Big East squad, one that this season earned its rookie stripes in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

''I think we were a little surprised, because we all thought that Boston College was going to get a 2 or 3 seed," Maraker said. ''It's kind of funny that they're an old Big East school. We were all laughing at that. I don't know if the committee was thinking about that when they matched us up."

For Pacific to have any chance of getting past the Eagles, Maraker must lead the way.

''He knew from the beginning of the year he was going to be the guy; he's been the focal point of our offense for two years," said Thomason, who discovered his star when Maraker scored 17 points for his Swedish club against Pacific during a European tour in 2000. ''He was just going to have to have more responsibility.

''I thought early in the year he just didn't have that peace of mind about being that go-to guy. He wanted to be, and he did score points, but you also have to do other things. When you get double-teamed, you've got to pass the ball and just be part of your team.

''I thought about after eight games, he finally got that and now he's been really enjoying the rest of the year. It's not always all about stats, it's about the presence you bring to the court and how you play the game, and he's done a great job."

Said Maraker, ''It was kind of a natural step for me, with so many seniors leaving last year. I felt comfortable doing it."

Maraker is able to score inside and out with a deft shooting touch, and Thomason said, ''Hopefully, we can create some problems for them. Watching a team, sometimes I can figure something out. I'll be watching someone and I'll go, 'They don't do this,' or `They don't do that.'

''I haven't watched that much tape on [BC], but from what I've watched, they're so solid at all the positions. They're obviously stronger and bigger than us, and that's going to be a major problem.

''We've got our hands full there."

Believe it or not, so will the Eagles.