BC Drops Another

The Boston College men's basketball team continued it's free-fall through the top 25 last night with a 78-60 loss at home to North Carolina State. The loss dropped the Eagles record in the ACC to 0-3 and kept them in the basement of their new league.

While I fully expected that there would be an adjustment period for BC heading into the best basketball conference in the country I did not think that it would be this bad. So far the 3 ACC teams that have beaten them have all been ranked lower than the Eagles, and Georgia Tech who beat them on Sunday was not ranked at all. Heading into their ACC debut at Maryland BC was ranked 6th in the nation, by tip-off last night their ranking had fallen to 15th and with last night's loss to 18th ranked NC State the plummet will surely continue.

Coming in to the season I was cautious about the Eagles' chances on the road in the ACC regardless of the caliber of the opponent. Every road game from Duke to Clemson is a challenge in this league and every fan in those stands is out for blood. However, even I (the biggest BC pessimist to ever attend the institution) thought that they would be able to defend their home floor against teams over whom they have at least a marginal advantage. Apparently I was wrong.

In thinking about last night's game one thing occurred to me. If a team is used to playing their road games at Duke, UNC, and Maryland coming to the Heights must seem like a vacation. Unlike the big time programs the students and fans at Conte Forum are almost entirely removed from the floor, allowing for a very quiet environment. The seats closest to the court are (in typical BC fashion) given to the highest bidders, donors, and VIPs. The majority of students (who don't arrive 2 hours early to sit behind one of the baskets) are relegated to the upper decks, high above the court. The spectators that sit close to the floor are reminiscent of an NBA crowd, hardly involved in the game, rarely loud, and never a factor for the other team. The risers behind the baskets are filled with rowdy fans but they are tiny, holding maybe a few hundred students total, which is a far cry from the entire lower level at Cameron Indoor or the huge walls behind the baskets at Maryland. Also, the older fans at BC games are not there to chant, cheer, heckle, and root for the Eagles, in fact I wonder why they are there at all. The older alumni and fans at other arenas are like an extra student section, and in fact may be more involved than the BC student section. The point is that Conte Forum is almost like a neutral site for visiting teams. It occassionally gets loud but in general the fan base is apathetic and many of the students who would like to go to the games can't get tickets because such a large percentage of the seats are used for BC's political purposes. (Don't forget how badly the administration bungled student ticket sales for this season.)

If the athletic director Gene DeFillipo hopes to build a competitive basketball program in the ACC serious changes need to be made to the atmosphere at Conte Forum to make it advantageous for the home team because right now that area holds no intimidation for visiting opponents whatsoever. Watching the Eagles play at home after watching the Maryland crowd literally take over the game at College Park a few weeks ago is like comparing apples and oranges. In a close game the atmosphere can be the 6th man, but the lack thereof can also add confidence to a road team that should be overmatched. That was the case last night. The crowd wasn't a factor and NC State took advantage. Someone at BC needs to figure this out, and quickly. If they continue to drop home games, and then have to go on the road in the conference to try to save their season it could be a long year for Al Skinner and his squad.

As for this game itself the Eagles created a bevy of problems on their own without help from a nonexistent crowd. On offense they missed 16 of their first 19 shots, their first 8 of the second half and finished the game shooting 32.3% from the field, 33% from 3 point range, and 59% from the free throw line. Defensively they looked lost, allowing NC State to shoot 63.4% from the field and an absurd 58.8% from beyond the arc. As coach Herb Sendek said after the game the Wolfpack were able to score, "in a variety of ways." Chris Simmons created, "matchup problems" (translation: they couldn't stop him) and Tony Bethel was lights out from outside hitting 4 of 6 3's. The normally potent combination of Jared Dudley and Non-American Craig Smith combined to shoot 11-34 and accounted for 30 total points.

After the game Al Skinner said, "As much as I hate to say it this tape goes in the trash. There's nothing in it for us." Ah, Al there's tons in it for you. Start with Sean Williams, remind him to watch for the backdoor play that burned him not once, not twice, but three times in the second half. Isn't he your defensive specialist? Is he not a liability on offense and only gets minutes for his play on the defensive end? Or maybe you could show Craig Smith a tape of himself shooting a 3 and remind him that he is a faux All-American because of his inside game, not his ability to hit from outside, or better yet show him a tape of Chris Simmons lighting him up to show him what effective interior play looks like. In fact point out every player and just about everything they did as an example of what not to do, come on coach this should be running on a constant loop in the locker room until they get this stuff right.

The only positive from this game was that the Eagles mounted a mini-run to pull within 9 on a Sean Marshall 3 with 12:45 to play. During the 2 minutes prior to that basket BC showed its only signs of life, putting on defensive pressure and making shots. A quick dunk on NC State's next possession put a stop to that and the gig was up.

If BC has any hope of competing in this league this year and beyond they need to learn how to play ACC basketball. In this league you need consistent shooters, not just horses inside, and your horses inside need to be more than 6'8" bulldogs that can be stopped and contained by a tall double team. You need these players to construct a more explosive offense that can come back from defecits because every team in this league (except BC) has the ability to make a huge run and get a lead, especially at home. Guard play is at a premium because defensive pressure is a commonality, particularly on the road where you need poised ball handlers to handle the intense environments. Al Skinner has done a great job getting fringe players that were under recruited and turning them into stars at BC, now to compete he needs actual stars. The time for scrappy Sean Marshalls and Tyrese Rices has passed at the Heights, if the team's makeup does not reflect that after this season 0-3 starts will be no rarity.