Boston College Athletics
BC-USC Game Notes -- NCAA Tournament Second Round
March 17, 2001 | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2001
Boston College (27-4) vs. USC (22-9)
NCAA Tournament -- East Regional -- Second Round
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum -- Uniondale, NY
SECOND ROUND: With its 68-65 win over Southern Utah on Thursday, March 15, Boston College advanced to the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. The win marked the Eagles' seventh straight win in the tournament's first round. BC last lost a first-round contest in the 1968 tournament, dropping a 102-93 decision to St. Bonaventure in Kingston, R.I. ... Note: BC earned a bye through the first round of the 1983 tournament.
FIRST-ROUND NOTABLES: While Boston College posted its 27th win of the season against Southern Utah on March 15, it did so despite posting some statistical numbers well below its 2000-01 averages.
- BC shot 32.4 percent from the floor, its second-lowest percentage of the season. The Eagles shot a season-low 31.1 percent from the field at Providence on Feb. 24. Still, BC won both games.
- BC registered just 68 points against the Thunderbirds, its fourth-lowest point total of the season. Surprisingly, each of these four "low" point totals -- 59 points at Providence, 65 points against Syracuse, and 67 points against St. John's -- was enough to give BC a victory.
- BC forced a season-low 10 turnovers. On the flip side, BC committed just 11 turnovers of its own, including just three in the second half ... With the win, BC raised its record to 6-1 when committing more turnovers than its foe.
- BC grabbed a season-high 52 rebounds, including an amazing 30 on the offensive end. The rebounding total marked the most rebounds by a BC team in one game since the Eagles registered 53 rebounds against Holy Cross on Dec. 20, 1997.
- BC made just two steals against the Thunderbirds, its lowest single-game total this season and the program's lowest single-game total since recording two steals at Connecticut on Dec. 7, 1996.
- BC attempted a season-high 34 three--point field goals, making just eight.
- BC trailed at halftime for just the fifth time this season. BC lost the first two games this season (at St. John's and at Duke) in which it trailed after 20 minutes. Since then, BC has won the last three games (at Providence, vs. St. John's, and Southern Utah) in which it trailed at intermission.
27 WINS: With its win over Southern Utah, Boston College continued to add to its school-record win total. Prior to this season, the 1982-83 Eagles held the school's single-season win total. That team, which finished with a 25-7 record, lost in the NCAA Tournament's West Regional semifinals (95-92 to a Ralph Sampson-led Virginia team).
SERIES AGAINST USC: Boston College has never met the Trojans on the hardwood.
TURNOVERS: Boston College committed 11 turnovers in its win over Southern Utah in the NCAA Tournament's East Regional first round. BC has now recorded 11 or fewer turnovers in 10 of its 31 games.
MARGIN OF VICTORY: While Boston College entered the tournament ranked first among BIG EAST schools in scoring margin (overall and in league games), the Eagles had to fight to the end to defeat Southern Utah on March 15. The team's three-point margin of victory marked just the sixth time this season BC has had a game decided by fewer than five points. BC is 4-2 in these games.
BENCH STRENGTH: Boston College had three reserves see action in its first-round victory over Southern Utah. Led by senior Jonathan Beerbohm, the BC bench recorded 15 points. Southern Utah's four bench players combined to score just four points. BC's reserves have now outscored the opponent's reserves in 21 of 31 games this season. BC has a 19-2 record in these 21 contests.
vs. Southern Utah: Like the team as a whole, BC's three reserves who played against the Thunderbirds didn't combine to record staggering numbers -- at least at first glance. A closer look, though, reveals Jonathan Beerbohm's eight points and eight rebounds. And Ryan Sidney's five-point, six-rebound effort. And even Brian Ross' two-point, two-rebound contribution in three minutes of action. Ross' lone basket gave BC a six-point cushion -- 52-46 -- midway through the second half.
REBOUNDING: Boston College's plus-17 rebounding margin against Southern Utah marked the Eagles' second-largest rebounding margin this season (BC outrebounded Quinnipiac by 18 on Dec. 23, 2000). BC has now outrebounded its foe in each of its four postseason contests -- three in the AT&T BIG EAST Championship Tournament and one in the NCAA Tournament) ... BC has a 16-2 record this season when outrebounding its opponent.
DEFENSE: While Boston College's defense did not post some of its more impressive numbers in some categories (forcing just 10 turnovers and making just two steals) against Southern Utah, it did limit the Thunderbirds to just 38.6 percent shooting from the field. BC is now 9-0 this season when forcing its opponent to shooting less than 40.0 percent from the floor.
TROY BELL: The sophomore guard may not have appeared to have one of his better nights in the Eagles' first-round win over Southern Utah -- but take a closer look and you might be surprised at what you find. Despite battling early foul trouble and scoring a season-low two points in the first 20 minutes, Bell battled back to finish with a line that read: 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and no turnovers in 32 minutes. He sank 3-of-4 free throws in the final 2:25 of the game, including 2-for-2 from the line with 13 seconds to play (to account for the game's final two points). Bell's point and rebound totals were both team highs.
PAIR OF EIGHTS: Both senior forward Jonathan Beerbohm and sophomore center Uka Agbai recorded eight points and eight rebounds in the Eagles' win over Southern Utah. Beerbohm followed his All-Tournament effort in the AT&T BIG EAST Championship Tournament with another solid outing in the NCAA Tournament's first round. He tallied eight points -- all in the first half -- and eight rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Agbai matched Beerbohm's numbers, plus added three blocked shots. Agbai grabbed seven of his eight rebounds at the offensive end.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY: Boston College enters its meeting with USC with a 2-1 NCAA Tournament record on St. Patrick's Day. BC defeated St. John's (1967) and Duke (1985) on St. Patrick's Day, before bowing to Georgia Tech (1996).
