Boston College Athletics
Boston College-Connecticut Men's Basketball
February 12, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2001
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FAST START: Boston College's 18-2 record marks the second-best start in program history. The 1966-67 team, led by head coach Bob Cousy and captain Willie Wolters, is the only team in school history to get off to a better start. That team began with a 23-2 record, before dropping its last game (to North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament).
BIG EAST BLAST: Boston College's 9-1 BIG EAST record marks the program's best-ever start in league play.
CONSISTENCY: Boston College has had the same starting lineup in each of its 20 games this season. Seniors Kenny Harley and Xavier Singletary, junior Kenny Walls, and sophomores Troy Bell and Uka Agbai have started every game.
ON OFFENSE: The Eagles are averaging 81.4 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting from the field this season. BC has scored more than 70 points in 19 of its 20 games. The 1965-66 Eagles were the last team to score 70 or more points in as many games. That team did so in all 26 of its games. BC has topped the 80-point mark in 11 games.
ON DEFENSE: While Boston College has received well-deserved kudos for its offensive attack, the team's defensive effort has gone largely unrecognized. The Eagles have limited their opponents to 43.7 percent shooting from the field, while making 10.2 steals per game. BC has forced its opponents into an average of 20.0 turnovers per game.
RECENT TRENDS: Boston College has topped the 80-point mark in four of the last five games ... BC has made more than 10 steals in each of its last six games ... BC was a +5 in the rebounding column in each of its last two games -- against Syracuse and at Virginia Tech.
FEW TURNOVERS: Boston College has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in four of its last six games. The Eagles made eight turnovers against Rutgers, seven at Villanova, nine against Virginia Tech, and eight against Syracuse ... The Eagles' four single-digit turnover efforts are the most in one season by a BC team since the 1993-94 team registered six sub-10 turnover games ... The last BC team to record more than one single-digit turnover game was the 1996-97 squad (two games).
League Best: Boston College is averaging 12.1 turnovers per game in BIG EAST contests, the second-lowest average among the league's 14 schools.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: Boston College has a 2-1 record against ranked opponents this season. BC defeated 10th-ranked Connecticut on Jan. 3 (85-68), and ninth-ranked Syracuse on Feb. 7 (65-63). The Eagles' lone loss came at second-ranked Duke on Jan. 16 (97-75).
*** THE HEAD COACH ***
Al Skinner is in his fourth season as the head coach at Boston College and his 13th season as a collegiate head coach. He has a career record of 188-184. Skinner is a 1974 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, where he enjoyed a stellar collegiate basketball career (1971-74).
Eleven Straight: The Eagles' 11-game winning streak to begin the season marked the longest winning streak of Al Skinner's coaching career. His longest winning streak during his nine-year tenure at Rhode Island was eight games (Dec. 21,1991-Jan. 15, 1992).
Hall of Fame: Al Skinner has been inducted into both the University of Massachusetts Athletic Hall of Fame (1982) and the University of Rhode Island Hall of Fame (2000). Skinner was a three-time All-Yankee Conference first team selection and a two-time NABC All-District first team choice at UMass. He still ranks among the school's career leaders in points, assists, rebounding average and field-goal percentage ... Skinner spent nine years as the Rams' head coach, winning 138 games and guiding URI to four post-season tournaments. He earned Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors in 1991-92.
THE COACHING STAFF: Al Skinner is assisted by associate head coach Tim O'Shea, assistant coach Bill Coen, assistant coach Ed Cooley and administrative assistant Pat Duquette. O'Shea, Coen and Cooley all served under Al Skinner at Rhode Island before joining him in Chestnut Hill. O'Shea was with Skinner for each of his nine years at URI, Coen was with Skinner for eight of the head coach's nine seasons, and Cooley spent one year with Skinner at URI before the move to Boston College.
NATIONALLY RANKED: Boston College is currently ranked ninth in the Associated Press poll and 11th in the ESPN/USA Today poll (released Feb. 12) ... Boston College earned its first national ranking of the season -- and first since March 10, 1997 (when it was 23rd in the AP poll) -- on Jan. 8.
High Marks: Boston College's current AP ranking -- ninth -- marks the program's highest (AP) ranking since being ranked sixth on Dec. 20, 1983.
RPI, RPI: Boston College is ninth in the latest RPI College Basketball Ratings (released by The Collegiate Basketball News, through games of Feb. 10).
THE SERIES AGAINST CONNECTICUT: Boston College has a 33-49 all-time record against the Huskies. Connecticut holds a 28-11 advantage in the BIG EAST regular-season series ... Connecticut holds a 2-1 advantage in BIG EAST Tournament meetings ... BC won the lone NCAA Tournament game (1967) ... The Eagles have a 1-1 mark against the Huskies in NIT action.
Streak: Boston College snapped Connecticut's 23-game series win streak with its 85-68 win in Conte Forum on Jan. 3, 2001. BC's previous win over the Huskies had been a 64-56 victory in the Boston Garden on Feb. 23, 1988.
With a Win Tonight: With a victory over the Huskies tonight, Boston College would earn its first win in the Hartford Civic Center since gaining a 66-60 win on Feb. 26, 1987. Connecticut has won the last seven meetings in the HCC.
HIGH SCORING: Boston College's 90-point effort at Villanova was the Eagles' highest point total in a BIG EAST game since defeating Syracuse, 94-83, in the Carrier Dome on Jan. 7, 1997 ... BC followed that effort with an 83-point outburst against Virginia Tech and an 89-point outing against Villanova. These games marked the first time BC had netted more than 80 points against three consecutive BIG EAST opponents since the 1983-84 season (Jan. 23, Jan. 28 and Jan. 31, 1984).
BIG EAST RANK: Boston College ranks at least fourth among the league's 14 schools in each of eight statistical categories: scoring margin (first), steals (second), turnover margin (first), scoring (second), three-point field-goal percentage (fourth), field-goal percentage (fourth), free-throw percentage (fourth), scoring defense (fourth) and assist-turnover ratio (fourth).
MARGIN OF VICTORY: Boston College has won three BIG EAST games this season by more than 20 points. Each of those three victories ranks among the school's 10 largest margins of victory in conference play (since the formation of the conference in 1979-80). BC's 26-point victory over Rutgers on Jan. 20, 2001 marked the fifth-largest margin of victory by a BC team in league play. The Eagles' most recent win -- at Virginia Tech -- marked the sixth-largest margin of victory for the Eagles.
QUICK HITS: Boston College is 18-0 when leading at halftime ... BC has shot a higher percentage from the field than its opponent in 13 of 20 games ... BC has committed fewer turnovers than its foe in 16 of 20 contests ... BC has made 10 or more steals in each of 12 games, including each of the last six.
SCORING: Boston College's 81.4 ppg average through 20 games is significantly higher than its scoring averages at the same point in past seasons. In fact, the 1995-96 Eagles were the last team to score at a higher clip through 20 contests.
REALLY, REALLY FREE: Boston College is shooting 70.8 percent from the foul line this season ... BC has twice shot 90.0 percent or better from the foul line. In its home victory over Miami (Jan. 13), Boston College shot 24-for-26 from the foul line, 92.3 percent. That effort marked the program's best single-game percentage from the foul line since shooting 18-for-19 (.947) at Villanova on Jan. 15, 2000 ... BC made 9-of-10 free-throw attempts, 90.0 percent, against Rutgers (Jan. 20).
Free Throws Made: Boston College equaled his season high with 27 free throws made in its win at Virginia Tech. The Eagles also made 27 free throws in their non-league win over Youngstown State.
FREE THROW, PART 2: Sophomore guard Troy Bell is the Eagles' top free-throw shooter. Bell is shooting 85.3 percent from the line this season. He's made 139-of-163 attempts this winter ... Bell was a perfect 17-for-17 from the foul line against Miami, tying the school record for free throws made in one game. John Austin '66 and Danya Abrams '97 also made 17 free throws in one game. Austin was 17-for-18 against Georgetown on Feb. 21, 1964, while Abrams shot 17-for-20 at Syracuse on Jan. 7, 1997.
Consecutive Free Throws Made: Bell made a season-best 22 consecutive free throws, extending from the second half of the season opener against St. Peter's through the second half of the home victory over Holy Cross ... Bell also had a streak of 19 consecutive made free throws in mid-January. He made all 17 attempts against Miami, and his first two attempts at Duke.
BIG EAST HONORS: Sophomore guard Troy Bell has earned BIG EAST Player of the Week honors three times this season. He shared the honor in two of those three weeks. The sophomore gained Player of the Week honors for the week ending Dec. 31 after netting 29 points in a win over Vanderbilt.. He shared the honor with Syracuse's Damone Brown for the week ending Jan. 7. Bell averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in wins over 10th-ranked Connecticut and Miami. More recently, Bell shared the honor with Notre Dame's Troy Murphy for the week ending Jan. 28. The sophomore earned the award after tallying 28 points and seven assists (no turnovers) at Villanova ... Freshman Ryan Sidney earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors for the week ending Jan. 28 after recording 17 points and seven assists in the Eagles' win at Villanova.
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE: Boston College has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in eight games, including each of four BIG EAST games ... In its home win over Miami, BC shot 53.1 percent from the field, including 50.0 percent or better in each half. The team's field-goal percentage against Miami was the highest by a BC team in a BIG EAST contest since Jan. 12, 2000 (60.5 percent at Notre Dame) ... More recently, the Eagles shot 50.8 percent in each of their two meetings with Villanova.
Top Notch: Boston College shot 61.3 percent from the field in the first half of its home win over Villanova. That shooting effort marked the Eagles' third-best shooting half of the season. BC shot 68.2 percent from the floor in the secnd half against Connecticut, and 65.5 percent from the field in the second half of the season opener against St. Peter's.
Lots of Hoops: Boston College's 32 field goals made at Villanova marked the Eagles' highest single-game field goal total in a BIG EAST game since making 32 against Connecticut on Jan. 6, 1999 ... BC has made more than 30 field goals in three of its last five games.
MORE LEAGUE LEADERS: Troy Bell isn't the only Eagle who ranks among league leaders in conference games. Ryan Sidney ranks sixth in steals (2.30 per game) and Uka Agbai is 10th in blocked shots (1.50 per game).
FAST START: Boston College's 11-0 start was the longest winning streak to begin a season in school history. The previous record was held by the 1984-85 team. That team -- coached by Gary Williams and captained by Michael Adams -- opened the season with 10 wins and finished with a 20-11 record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Regional semifinal round. The 1984-85 team saw its streak end with an 82-80 overtime loss at Georgetown on Jan. 5, 1985.
WINNING STREAK: The Eagles' 11-game winning streak was the third-longest winning streak in Boston College basketball history, and the longest since the 1968-69 season. The 1968-69 team holds the longest winning streak, having won its last 16 regular-season contests and then winning three games in the NIT before bowing to Temple in the title game. The only other team with a longer streak was the 1964-65 team that won its last 14 games, before losing to St. John's in the NIT.
STEALS: Boston College is averaging 10.15 steals per game -- an average that ranks second among the BIG EAST's 14 schools ... The Eagles have made 10 or more steals in 12 games. BC made a season-high 16 steals against Youngstown State, the most steals in one game by BC since recording 17 steals last year against Villanova (3/4/00).
Individually Speaking: Troy Bell is the team leader in steals (and third among BIG EAST leaders), averaging 2.80 per game ... He has made eight steals in each of two games, including the team's recent win over Syracuse.
Even Better In The League: Boston College leads all conference schools with a 10.60 steals per game average in conference competition.
LONG RANGE: Boston College is shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range this season. The Eagles currently rank fourth among 14 BIG EAST schools in this category. Last year, BC finished 11th among 13 league schools in three-point field goal percentage (.302) ... BC hit 13 (of 26) three-point field goals in its 73-72 win at Miami. The team's 13 treys marked the highest single-game total since the 1991-92 team hit 13 (of 23) three-pointers against Providence on Jan. 14, 1992 ... BC shot 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from long range against Vanderbilt, its best single-game percentage since shooting .529 (9-for-17) in a win at West Virginia on Feb. 19, 2000 ... BC shot a season-low .158 (3-for-19) from three-point range in its loss at St. John's.
Double Digits: BC has hit 10 or more three-point field goals six times this season, including its most recent game -- at Virginia Tech.
OVERTIME: Boston College has yet to play an overtime game this season. In fact, the Eagles have not played an overtime game since defeating Seton Hall, 97-87, in the opening round of the 1998 BIG EAST Championship Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 5, 1998 ... BC has a 1-1 overtime record since Al Skinner become the team's head coach prior to the 1997-98 season. The other overtime game was a 68-65 loss to Villanova in The Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. on Jan. 6, 1998 ... The last overtime game in Conte Forum saw Miami defeat BC, 77-71, on Feb. 25, 1995.
68th SEASON: The 2000-01 season marks the 68th season of varsity play for Boston College. The Eagles have an 889-722 (.552) all-time record.
FOCUS ON ... TROY BELL
STILL AMAZING: Sophomore Troy Bell, the 1999-2000 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, is the Eagles' leading scorer. Bell is averaging 20.8 points per game through 20 games. In 10 BIG EAST games, he's averaging 21.2 points per game ... Bell is shooting 117-for-277 from the field (.455). He has hit 42-of-106 three-point attempts (.396). The sophomore equaled his career high with 31 points in the season opener against St. Peter's. He scored 29 points against Vanderbilt, 28 points at Villanova, and 27 points against both Connecticut and Miami (home).
AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS: Troy Bell ranks among BIG EAST leaders in eight categories (league games only): scoring (third, 21.2), field-goal percentage (10th, .436), assists (seventh, 5.20), free-throw percentage (fifth, .869), steals (second, 3.00), three-point field-goal percentage (seventh, .397), three-point field goals made (tied-12th, 2.30) and assist-turnover ratio (fifth, 2.26).
REALLY THREE: Troy Bell hit a career-high six three-point field goals in the Eagles' 73-72 win at Miami. In addition, he has made five three-point field goals twice this season, including the team's most recent game -- at Virginia Tech ... Bell, who has made 42 treys so far this season, has made three in each of two games (St. Peter's and Youngstown State) and four once (Vanderbilt).
REALLY FREE: Troy Bell has made 139-of-163 free-throw attempts (.853) this season ...He has attempted 10 or more free throws in each of seven games this season. He has attempted at least 10 free throws in 13 of his 47 collegiate contests ... Bell shot 14-for-16 from the line in BC's win over Connecticut ... He was 17-for-17 from the line against Miami. The Miami game marked the 11th time in his collegiate career that he'd been perfect from the line when attempting six or more shots ... Bell finished the 1999-2000 season ranked second among NCAA Division I leaders in free-throw percentage (.894).
PUTTING UP POINTS: Troy Bell has scored in double figures in 44 of his 47 collegiate games, including each of the last 25 games. He has scored 10 or more points in each of his 29 games in Conte Forum. The sophomore has registered 20 or more points 23 times (14 in Conte), including two games with more than 30 points (one in Conte).
DRAWING ATTENTION: It didn't take too many collegiate games before Troy Bell's talents -- especially his three-point shooting abilities -- were recognized. Long before he captured BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors last March, Bell had his opponents keeping a special eye -- and sometimes more than that -- on him. Witness this: Last season, Bell was fouled on a three-point attempt 18 times in 16 games, including 12 of 14 BIG EAST games (including twice in each of two games -- at Connecticut and at West Virginia). He made all three free throws 13 times. He made 2-of-3 free throws four times. And what about the other time when he was fouled on a three-point attempt? Well, Bell still hit the trey -- and then made the one free throw that followed (against Hartford).
DOING IT AGAIN: Already this season, Bell has been fouled on nine of his three-point field goal attempts ... He's made all three free throws three times, 2-of-3 four times, and 1-of-1 twice (after making the trey)
*** THE LAST TWO GAMES ***
Boston College 83, Virginia Tech 59 (Feb. 10, 2001): Sophomore guard Troy Bell scored 22 points and senior forward Xavier Singletary tallied 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Eagles past Virginia Tech in Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA. Senior Kenny Harley added 10 points ... BC led 9-7 just more than eight minutes into the contest, before using a 21-6 run to take a 30-13 lead with 5:10 left in the half. BC led by as many as 20 points -- 35-15 -- before settling for a 40-26 halftime margin. The Eagles scored the first 11 points of the second half to take a commanding 51-26 advantage. BC never allowed the Hokies to reduce its margin below 18 points ... BC forced 24 turnovers and made 13 steals ... BC outrebounded the Hokies, 37-32 ... BC made 10 three-point field goals, including five by Bell.
Boston College 65, Syracuse 63 (Feb. 7, 2001): Senior Kenny Harley scored 12 points, including four free throws in the final 20 seconds of the game, to lead 17th-ranked Boston College to the win over ninth-ranked Syracuse before a sellout crowd at Conte Forum. Sophomore Troy Bell also netted 12 points, while senior Jonathan Beerbohm added 10 points. Sophomore Uka Agbai scored eight points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds ... Agbai scored the game's opening basket and the Eagles never surrendered the lead in the opening half. BC extended its advantage to double digits - 16-6 - on Harley's field goal with 12:25 remaining in the half. The Eagles took their biggest lead of the half - 34-20 - on a Ryan Sidney field goal with 2:49 to play, but Syracuse scored the final three points of the half. The visitors continued their rally in the second half, outscoring BC 16-3 in the first eight minutes to take a 39-37 lead. Syracuse gained its first lead of the night on Damone Brown's old-fashioned three-point play with 12:29 remaining. The two teams then traded runs. BC scored five consecutive points, before SU answered with a 9-2 run to extend its advantage to 48-44. Boston College then responded with a 10-2 run to claim a 54-50 lead. Syracuse tied the score three times, the last time coming when Damone Brown hit two free throws to knot the game at 58-58 with 1:42 to play. BC senior Xavier Singletary's field goal with 39 seconds to play snapped the tie and gave BC a lead it would never relinquish. Harley then sank 4-of-4 free-throw attempts to secure the victory. Syracuse's Allen Griffin nailed a three-pointer with 5.0 seconds to play to trim the BC margin to 64-63, but Beerbohm sank 1-of-2 free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining to conclude the scoring. Bell made his eighth steal of the night to thwart SU's final opportunity.
