Boston College Athletics
BC Hosts Undefeated Syracuse
January 28, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2000
#5/#4 Syracuse (16-0, 6-0)
at Boston College (9-8, 1-4)
January 29, 2000 -- Noon
Conte Forum (8,606) -- Chestnut Hill, MA
QUICK HITS: Freshman Troy Bell netted 15 points in the Eagles' most recent game -- a 74-65 loss to Seton Hall (Jan. 26). The game marked the 13th time that Bell has led the team in scoring this season ... Junior Xavier Singletary also scored 15 points in the contest ... Junior Kenny Harley returned to the starting line-up in the game against Seton Hall. Harley started the first four games of the 1999-2000 season, before coming off the bench in the next 13 ... After scoring in double figures in five of the first 14 games, sophomore Kenny Walls has netted double-digit point totals in three of the last four contests.
RANKED OPPONENT: A Boston College victory over Syracuse today would mark the Eagles'f first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since a 64-54 win over #21 Marquette in Milwaukee's Bradley Center on Jan. 17, 1998 ... The Eagles' last win over a top 10 foe was a memorable 75-72 victory over #1 North Carolina in the second round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament's East Regional on March 20, 1994 (in the Capital Centre in Landover, Md.).
AT HOME: Boston College has a 6-4 record in Conte Forum this season, including a 1-2 mark in BIG EAST contests ... Syracuse has a 4-0 road record, including three wins in conference play.
TURNOVERS: Boston College has committed fewer turnovers than its foes in six of the last seven games ... In this seven-game stretch, BC is averaging 14.6 turnovers per game, down from its season average of 17.3 per game. The average would be significantly better (13.2 per game) if not for a 23-turnover outing at Miami (Jan. 22). The 23 turnovers were the Eagles' highest turnover total since committing 28 against Illinois-Chicago seven games earlier (Dec. 22, 1999). best shooting game since hitting 53.4 percent in an 83-59 win over Massachusetts in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic (Dec. 23) ... In their loss at Miami, the Eagles shot 30.4 percent, their lowest single-game percentage since shooting 23.7 percent against Massachusetts on Dec. 12, 1998 ... BC made just 17 field goals against Miami, its lowest single-game total since March 3, 1999 (17 vs. Syracuse in the BIG EAST Championship Tournament).
HALFTIME SCORE: Boston College has an 8-1 record this season when leading at halftime, 1-7 when trailing at the break, and 0-1 when tied after 20 minutes ... The most recent game -- against Seton Hall -- marked the first time BC lost when leading at the intermission. BC led 35-30 at halftime.
MAGIC NUMBER: Boston College is 8-2 when limiting its opponents to fewer than 70 points ... BC is 1-7 when allowing more than 70 points.
LAST GAME: Freshman Troy Bell and junior Xavier Singletary each scored 15 points to lead Boston College in a 74-65 home loss to Seton Hall (Jan. 26). BC outscored the Pirates from the field, 60-56, but was outscored, 18-5, from the foul line ... BC shot 50.0 percent from the field ... BC outrebounded Seton Hall, 31-25, and committed one fewer turnover than the visitors (SH 14, BC 13) ... BC led by as many as seven early in the first half, before Seton Hall rallied to take a three-point lead (30-27) with 4:02 remaining in the opening half. BC scored the final eight points before the intermission to gain a 35-30 advantage ... BC extended its margin to eight points -- 40-32 -- with 18:23 remaining. Seton Hall used an 8-0 run to even the score, and then proceeded on a 20-7 rally to gain a 60-47 lead with 8:39 to play ... BC did close to within four points -- 64-60 with 3:04 left -- but the Pirates answered with four straight points to regain control.
REBOUNDING: After losing the rebounding battle in each of its previous three games (and four of its previous five BIG EAST contests), Boston College gained a 31-25 rebounding edge against Seton Hall (Jan. 26) ... Last year, BC was outrebounded by an average of 26.0 rebounds per game in its three meetings against Syracuse.
FREE THROWS: One of the better free-throw shooting teams in the conference (third among the 13 teams), Boston College has made 72.2 percent of its free throws ... BC has shot at least 80.0 percent from the foul line in six games this season ... BC attempted a season-low nine free throws (making five) in its most recent game -- against Seton Hall (Jan. 26). BC had attempted 23.2 free throws per game in its previous five BIG EAST contests.
STEALS: Boston College has recorded 173 steals in its first 18 games, an average of 9.6 steals per game. BC ranks fourth among the league's 13 schools in this category ... The Eagles have registered 10 or more steals in each of eight games ... BC recorded a season-best 19 steals in the season opener against New Hampshire (Nov. 20) ... In six BIG EAST contests, BC has registered 58 steals, an average of 9.7 per game (ranking third among the league's 13 schools).
DEPTH: Boston College's bench has outscored its opponent's bench in 15 of 18 games this season. BC has an 8-7 record in these games ... BC's reserves are averaging 25.5 points per game, while its opponents' reserves are averaging 16.6 ppg ... BC's bench scored a season-high 52 points in the season opener against New Hampshire (Nov. 20) ... BC's reserves scored a season-low eight points at Holy Cross (Dec. 7) ... BC's bench was outscored in its first meeting with Massachusetts (Dec. 4) and against Providence (Jan. 8) ... BC and Seton Hall each received 21 points from its bench in their first meeting (Jan. 26).
THE SERIES AGAINST SYRACUSE: Syracuse holds a 37-19 lead in its all-time series against the Eagles, including a 26-11 edge in the BIG EAST regular-season series ... The Orangemen hold a 5-2 lead in BIG EAST Tournament meetings ... Syracuse has won the last four games, and six of the last eight games.
BOSTON COLLEGE'S PROBABLE STARTERS
| Pos. | No. | Name | Yr. | PPG, RPG | Last Game | |
| F | 00 | Uka Agbai | Fr. | 5.4, 4.5 | 6 pts., 3 reb. | |
| F | 13 | Kenny Harley | Jr. | 5.4, 2.6 | 6 pts., 3 reb. | |
| F | 45 | Brian Ross | So. | 4.6, 4.5 | 2 pts., 2 reb. | |
| G | 2 | Troy Bell | Fr. | 18.8, 2.8 | 15 pts., 2 reb. | |
| G | 23 | Xavier Singletary | Jr. | 12.4, 3.7 | 15 pts., 4 reb. |
In Conte Forum: Boston College has a 3-7 record in 10 games against Syracuse in Conte Forum ... Syracuse has won the last two contests in Chestnut Hill. BC's last win on its home floor was a 79-71 victory on Feb. 4, 1997.
CURRENT EAGLES VS. SYRACUSE
| NAME | GP | Pts./Avg. | Reb./Avg. | Ast./Avg. |
| Kenny Harley | 4 | 44/11.0 | 20/5.0 | 8/2.0 |
| Michael Cotton | 3 | 25/8.3 | 12/4.0 | 3/1.0 |
| Brian Ross | 3 | 23/7.7 | 12/4.0 | 2/0.7 |
| Kenny Walls | 3 | 19/6.3 | 8/2.7 | 5/1.7 |
| Jonathan Beerbohm | 4 | 26/6.5 | 4/1.0 | 2/0.5 |
| Dwayne Pina | 4 | 8/2.0 | 10/2.5 | 14/4.5 |
THE COACHES
THE HEAD COACH: Al Skinner is in his third season as the Eagles' head coach. Skinner assumed the head coaching duties at Boston College on April 17, 1997. A 1974 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, he starred on the Minutemen's basketball team. He finished his collegiate career with 1,252 points. A team captain as a senior, he has subsequently been elected to the University's Athletic Hall of Fame. Following his collegiate career, Skinner played professional basketball for six years -- with the New York Nets (ABA and NBA), Detroit Pistons (NBA), Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and Joventut (Barcelona, Spain) ... He has a 30-46 record in two-plus seasons at the Heights. Prior to coming to BC, he enjoyed nine successful years at the University of Rhode Island. In his tenure at URI, Skinner had a 138-126 record, leading the Rams to two NCAA Tournament (1992-93 and 1996-97) and two NIT (1991-92 and 1995-96) bids ... Skinner has a career record of 168-172.
Skinner vs. Syracuse: Al Skinner has a 0-5 career record against the Orangemen. He has a 0-4 record as the head coach at Boston College. He was 0-1 in his nine years at Rhode Island.
THE ASSISTANT COACHES: Skinner is joined on the BC bench by associate head coach Tim O'Shea, assistant coaches Bill Coen and Ed Cooley, and administrative assistant Pat Duquette. Three of the four -- Coen, Cooley and former BC star guard O'Shea ('84) -- came with Skinner from Rhode Island, while Duquette came to BC from St. Michael?s College.
PLAYER NOTES
#00 UKA AGBAI: The freshman forward is averaging 5.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game ... After coming off the bench for the first four games of the season, Agbai has started each of the last 14 games ... He has led (or tied for the team lead) the team in rebounding in five games ... In recent action, Agbai blocked four shots in the Eagles' loss at Miami. The game marked the third time this season that the freshman has blocked at least four shots in one game ... Agbai notched six points and five rebounds at Villanova (Jan. 15), and six points and seven rebounds at Notre Dame (Jan. 12) ... In the Eagles' win over Providence (Jan. 8), the freshman played a career-high 37 minutes. In that time, he contributed three points, tied for team-high rebounding honors with six, and became the first BC player to block five shots in one game since Jonathan Beerbohm recorded five against Notre Dame on Jan. 27, 1999 ... Agbai grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in a win over Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 22) ... In the Eagles' win over Michigan (Dec. 19), Agbai registered 10 points and five rebounds. His 10-point effort was his third double-figure game of the season (all with 10 points). His other double-digit efforts came against New Hampshire (Nov. 20) and Hartford (Nov. 29) ... Agbai came to Boston College from New York City's Archbishop Molloy High School, where he played for legendary head coach Jack Curran.
#2 TROY BELL: The freshman guard is the Eagles' top scorer, averaging 18.8 points per game. He has led the team in scoring in 13 games ... He has already topped the 20-point mark in eight games, including four games with more than 25 points ... He scored 20 points at Miami (Jan. 22), his third 20 (or better) point game in six BIG EAST contests ... He is the Eagles' top three-point threat, hitting 40.7 percent from long range (37-for-91).
Among the Leaders: Through games of Jan. 24, Bell ranked 41st among the nation's Division I scorers. He is the third-ranked freshman in this category. He also ranks among the nation's leaders in free-throw percentage (12th) ... In the BIG EAST (through games of Jan. 28), Bell ranks among the leaders in the following categories: scoring (second), free-throw percentage (second), three-point field goal percentage (fifth), three-point field goals made/game (tied-seventh) and field-goal percentage (15th).
Free Throws: Bell is one of the nation's premier free-throw shooters, hitting 89.4 percent of his attempts (110-for-123).
BIG EAST Rookie Honors: Troy Bell has garnered BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors four times this season.
#3 MICHAEL COTTON: The senior swingman is averaging 4.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game ... He registered six points and four rebounds in the team's game at Miami (Jan. 22) ... Cotton posted 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals in the Eagles' loss at Notre Dame (Jan. 12). He played a season-high 35 minutes against the Irish ... Cotton tallied two points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals at Villanova (Jan. 15) ... He tallied nine points against Tulsa (Dec. 21) in the first round of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.
#4 JONATHAN BEERBOHM: The junior forward is averaging 8.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game this season ... He has scored in double figures in seven games this season ... He has led the team in rebounding four times ... He has scored eight points in four of the first six BIG EAST contests ... He netted nine points against Georgetown (Jan. 18). He also added six rebounds and two assists against the Hoyas ... Beerbohm recorded 14 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and two steals in a season-high 29 minutes against Michigan (Dec. 19). The game marked his first collegiate double-double ... Beerbohm earned All-Tournament honors in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic (Dec. 21-23) after averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in three games. Against Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 22), Beerbohm tallied 13 points, including the decisive three-point field goal with 18 seconds remaining in the game that lifted BC to the victory ... Against Massachusetts (Dec. 23), the junior equaled his career high with 14 points, while falling one rebound shy of a double-double.
Ironman: Today will mark Beerbohm's 77th consecutive game at Boston College. The junior from Fairbury, Neb. has played in every game since his arrival in Chestnut Hill in the fall of 1997.
#5 DWAYNE PINA: The senior guard is averaging 1.2 points and 0.8 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game this season ... He has seen action in three of the Eagles' six BIG EAST contests, including each of the last two contests ... Pina tallied five points (all free throws), two rebounds, two assists and three steals in 19 minutes against New Hampshire (Nov. 20) ... 1998-99: He averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 assists in a team-high 30.0 minutes per game last winter. He played in and started all 27 games ... Pina, who began the 1999-2000 season with two seasons of eligibility remaining, joined the team as a walk-on prior to the 1997-98 season, but quickly earned a scholarship.
#10 NICOLAS DUNN: The junior guard, who joined the team as a walk-on prior to the 1997-98 season, scored his first collegiate points in the Eagles' home win over Hartford (Nov. 29). Dunn sank a three-point field goal as time expired in BC's 104-62 victory. The shot was Dunn's third career field-goal attempt, his first three-point field-goal try.
#13 KENNY HARLEY: The junior guard is averaging 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game this season ... He returned to the starting line-up in the Eagles' last game -- against Seton Hall (Jan. 26). He started the first four games of the season, before coming off the bench in the next 13. He finished with six points and three rebounds in 26 minutes against the Pirates ... Harley contributed nine points and four rebounds at Miami (Jan. 22). He played a season-high 31 minutes in the contest ... Harley registered seven points, three rebounds and three assists at Notre Dame (Jan. 12) ... He recorded nine points, two rebounds and three assists against Tulsa (Dec. 21) ... Harley registered a season-high six rebounds against St. Francis (Dec. 11) ... He scored a season-high 14 points (5-for-10 FG, 4-for-4 FT) in the Eagles' win over Hartford (Nov. 29) ... In the Eagles' win over Vermont (Nov. 23), he handed out a career-high six assists in 22 minutes.
#21 KENNY WALLS: The sophomore swingman is averaging 9.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in eight games this season, including three of the last four games ... Most recently, he scored 11 points and tied for team-high rebounding honors with four in the Eagles' loss to Seton Hall (Jan. 26) ... Walls scored 17 points against Georgetown (Jan. 18). Nine of his points came in the game's final six minutes as BC rallied to even the score ... He tallied 10 points (4-for-7 FG), two rebounds and three assists at Villanova (Jan. 15) ... Walls contributed nine points, three rebounds and four assists in the Eagles' win over Providence (Jan. 8). He played a season-high 32 minutes against the Friars ... In the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic (Dec. 21-23), Walls averaged 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He netted 14 points in each of the first two games (vs. Tulsa and Ilinois-Chicago) ... Walls recorded 14 points and nine rebounds against St. Francis (Dec. 11). His nine rebounds equaled his career high.
#23 XAVIER SINGLETARY: The junior guard is the Eagles' second-leading scorer, averaging 12.4 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 14 games, including two games with 20 or more points ... He has led the team in scoring in four games ... Most recently, Singletary tied with Troy Bell for team-high scoring honors, netting 15 points against Seton Hall (Jan. 26). He also grabbed four rebounds ... He was held scoreless in a season-low 13 minutes of action at Miami (Jan. 22). He attempted a season-low five field goals in the contest ... He tallied eight points, five rebounds and three steals against Georgetown (Jan. 18). Prior to that, he scored 14 points at both Notre Dame (Jan. 12) and Villanova (Jan. 15) ... Singletary led the Eagles in scoring in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, averaging 16.3 points per game. He netted 12 points against Tulsa (Dec. 21) and 11 against Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 22), before exploding for 26 points against Massachusetts (Dec. 23). He shot 8-for-17 from the field against UMass, including 7-for-14 from three-point range. His seven three-pointers were the most by a BC player in one game since Dana Barros made nine treys at Pittsburgh on Jan. 7, 1989 ... In the Eagles' 89-71 win over Michigan (Dec. 19), Singletary registered 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. He scored 10 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes ... He scored 20 points (7-for-12 FG, 3-for-7 three-pointers) in the Eagles' win over Vermont (Nov. 23).
Steals: Singletary leads the Eagles and ranks ninth among BIG EAST leaders with 34 steals in 18 games. He made four steals in each of two games in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic -- against Tulsa (Dec. 21) and Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 22) ... He has made three steals in each of two BIG EAST games -- against Providence (Jan. 8) and Georgetown (Jan. 18).
#32 ANDREW DUDLEY: The freshman forward/center has seen action in seven games this season, including two BIG EAST contests ... He played one minute at Miami (Jan. 22), and saw six minutes of action against Georgetown (Jan. 18). The Georgetown game marked Dudley's first game action since Dec. 23 (against Massachusetts in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic) ... He recorded four points (2-for-3 FG) and four rebounds in six minutes against Vermont (Nov. 23) ... Dudley averaged 17.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game at Life Center (N.J.) Academy last winter.
#45 BRIAN ROSS: The sophomore forward is averaging 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game ... He has scored in double figures in three games ... Ross recorded six points and a team-high seven rebounds at Miami (Jan. 22). The game marked the sixth time this season that the sophomore has led the team in rebounding ... He played 16 minutes in the Eagles' loss to Georgetown (Jan. 18). He registered two points and two rebounds, before leaving the game with an upper hamstring injury with 15:51 remaining in the contest ... Ross registered four points, six rebounds, one assist and three steals in 27 minutes at Villanova (Jan. 15) ... Ross notched six points, six rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes against Providence (Jan. 8) ... He grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against St. Francis (Dec. 11) ... Ross recorded eight points and a game-high eight rebounds at Holy Cross (Dec. 7) ... He netted 10 points (3-for-4 FG, 1-for-1 trey, 3-for-3 FT) in a season-high 32 minutes against Massachusetts (Dec. 4) ... Ross registered 14 points (6-for-10 FG) and eight rebounds against Vermont (Nov. 23).
SHOOTING WOES: Boston College's recent shooting woes came to an end in its last game -- against Seton Hall. After shooting just 35.0 percent in its previous six games (with no game better than 37.0 percent), BC made 50.0 percent (27-for-54) of its field-goal attempts against the Pirates.
