Boston College Athletics
Eagles Try To Stay Atop BIG EAST And Sweep Hokies
February 09, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2001
From the Associated Press
Boston College looks to continue its climb from last to first this season when the Eagles play at Virginia Tech on Saturday.
After finishing in the cellar of the 13-team Big East a season ago, No. 17 Boston College (17-2, 8-1) heads to Blacksburg leading the conference on the strength of the best start in league play in school history.
"We were going through some tough times here, and we're trying to make up for tough times," third-year coach Al Skinner said. "We kind of feel like this is the way it should be. I know it sounds a little arrogant, but this is what we worked for. It's been a long journey for a lot of guys."
The Eagles are coming off a 65-63 upset of No. 9 Syracuse on Wednesday night. The victory was Boston College's fifth straight overall and sixth in a row in the Big East. The Eagles' lone loss in their last seven games was a 97-75 defeat at No. 3 Duke.
Boston College has never won the Big East regular season title outright. The Eagles earned a share of the conference crown in 1997, when they tied Villanova and went on to win the tournament championship.
Boston College is also hoping to end a four-year postseason drought, last earning a bid to the NCAA tournament in '97.
Troy Bell, the team's leading scorer at 20.7 points per game, had only 12 points against Syracuse but recorded a career-high eight steals, including three in the final minute and one on the final play of the game.
"Defense is everything to our team," said Bell, who also had six assists, five rebounds and a blocked shot. "Our shooting may not be consistent, but our defense is."
Boston College is allowing 66.7 points per game, fourth-best in the conference.
Starting with Saturday's game, Boston College will play five of its final eight contests on the road, where the Eagles have struggled somewhat. Boston College is 3-2 on the road, compared to 14-0 at home.
Boston College routed Virginia Tech 83-61 on Jan. 31, forcing 30 Hokie turnovers. Bell, Xavier Singletary and Kenny Harley each had 16 points for the Eagles. Bell added seven assists and five steals while committing no turnovers in 33 minutes.
Virginia Tech (8-13, 2-8) is coming off an 86-61 loss at Miami on Tuesday night. It was the Hokies' third straight loss and sixth in their last seven.
