Tip-Off: Opening Weekend Hits The Conte Forum Hardwood

Though it was just an exhibition, opening tip of Boston College and Stonehill last week brought with it palpable excitement. It was the inaugural viewing of the new-look Eagles, the first chance for fans to see their team pull on the home jerseys and play against a team that wasn't made up of teammates.

A dress rehearsal drums up some interest, but it'll pale in comparison to Friday night in Chestnut Hill. For the first time this year, the opening tip kicks off a game that counts for real. From here on out, everything matters.

For the Eagles, it means the future can start turning itself into the present. After spending the last few weeks working towards a later date, they can start amassing baskets for real when Nicholls State trades the Mississippi River delta for Boston's Charles River.

"I'm really excited about these guys," head coach Jim Christian said. "We've played twice, and we just have to keep getting better. The way we're playing the game at the pace that we're playing with the unselfishness is a lot to build on. It's more 'together,' and we're more 'together' in a good group."

It's not to say there isn't information available for the Eagles. Their exhibition against the Skyhawks provided more than enough film for them to work with, especially against a talented Division II team who went "bombs away" by shooting 32 three-point attempts. While they would've liked a bigger margin of victory than seven points, there were signs that this year will change things for the better.

BC shot 54.1 percent from the field against the Skyhawks, launching 61 shots on the night. Those are two numbers putting them miles ahead of last season, when they averaged just under 55 shots and shot 41 percent from the field. "The good news is that we're not making the same mistakes," Christian said. "We're making new mistakes, which means we're correcting the old mistakes. We're fixing some things, and I think it's going to be like that for a little while."

Immediately after the Nicholls State game, the Eagles will turn around quickly to take on Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday. It's the first two games of a first half of the year where BC will play nine of their first 13 at home. The team actually plays no true road game until ACC play, with their four games away from Conte Forum contested on neutral ground.

Here's what to anticipate as Boston College basketball season gets underway:

MEET THE OPPONENTS
Nicholls State went 11-23 last year, 6-12 in the Southland Conference. After opening the year 7-22, they won three straight games to end the season, defeating New Orleans, Central Arkansas, and Southeastern Louisiana to close out their regular season. In the Southland Conference Tournament, they defeated McNeese State in the first round, winning 94-90 in double overtime, before losing by one to Sam Houston State.

As for Maryland Eastern Shore, the Hawks withstood a tough start to the season to finish strong. They opened 1-10, a stretch that included a 113-74 loss to Fairfield. After back-to-back wins over American and Central Penn, they lost six of their next seven. After a four-game MEAC winning streak, they lost five in a row before winning back-to-back games to end the regular season. They lost their first MEAC Tournament game to Morgan State - the same team they beat in the season finale.

The duo went a combined 0-7 against power conference teams in 2016.

WHAT TO WATCH
Offense wasn't any kind of problem for BC against Stonehill. In addition to shooting the aforementioned 54 percent from the floor, the Eagles dominated the glass, outrebounding the Skyhawks by a 44-31 margin. That included 37 defensive rebounds, of which the guards - Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson - were among the team leaders. At the free throw line, the team went 12-17.

It came against an incredibly unique Division II offense. Division II teams often run sets and looks that are completely different from a traditional Division I roster. Last year, Bentley ran a small lineup of guards, where everyone was between 6'3" and 6'5", against the Eagles in their exhibition. This year, Stonehill exhibited a tendency to launch three pointers, and a 6'7" forward took the majority of their shots, even from outside. That will make the first few games against D1 teams that much more compelling.

Additionally, it'll be worth paying attention to how the mid-range players play. There's a tendency to focus on the point guard position because of how it quarterbacks the offense, and people may watch how the Eagles play down low because of how many good "bigs" exist in the ACC. That doesn't mean the small forward and shooting guard position can be overlooked. Against Stonehill, BC had 21 assists, seven of which came from the small forward position occupied by A.J. Turner.

"I think A.J. Turner and Jordan Chatman have to be guys that make shots," Christian said during the team's media day. "They have to find ways to impact the game, and they can do that in a lot of different ways. They can do that by getting in the gap or stealing the ball or feeding the post, and they have to do a good job of getting on the glass. And Garland Owens can step in to help himself a lot as long as he plays within himself."

SECONDARY STORYLINE
The Eagles ran into foul trouble in their exhibition against the Skyhawks last week, committing 26 personal fouls. The end result gave Stonehill 34 free throws, of which they hit 21. If that number could've been slashed even marginally lower, the final score wouldn't have been as narrow as the seven-point difference appeared.

The uptick in fouls could be attributed to a rules change in college basketball. The NCAA tweaked the rule this year, placing an emphasis on a player's "vertical cylinder." It refers to a player's personal space, and a defender may not invade the space when an offensive player is making a "normal" basketball move. The cylinder is granted from the floor all the way up to the ceiling.

As teams adjust to the new rule, the number of fouls across the board is likely to go up.

"I think it's really difficult, and the officials get put in a tough spot sometimes," Christian said. "Players have to adjust to (the new rules), and we've tried to show them on video so we can teach our kids. But it's going to be interesting, and it's going to be interesting all year long (for everybody)."

FUN FACTS
Thibodaux, Louisiana is only 5.5 square miles in size with a population of around 15,000. Comparable population sizes in Massachusetts are in the towns of Duxbury, Northbridge, Longmeadow, Swansea, North Reading and Belchertown.

Thibodaux is still five times bigger than the hometown of Sunday's opponent, though. Maryland Eastern Shore is located in Princess Anne, Maryland, a town located - you guessed it - on Maryland's eastern shoreline. It's less than two square miles in size and boasts a population of just over 3,000. For a Massachusetts comparable, look to Provincetown, Berlin, and Nahant.

Nicholls' Stopher Gym is the home of the Manning Passing Academy, a four-day clinic designed to coach up four different positions on the football gridiron. Founded in 1996 by Archie Manning, the amount of NFL talent who have coached or helped out is staggering.

UMES is just one year removed from postseason play. In 2015, they earned a bid to the CIT, where they lost to High Point in the first round, 70-64. Prior to the CIT, they last appeared in a tournament in the 1974 NIT. They haven't been to an official "national tournament" since 1973 - when they were in the NAIA.

GAME DAY MUSIC
Kurtis Blow - Basketball

Kurtis Blow - Basketball. There is literally nothing about this song that you shouldn't love. Released in 1984 on the album Ego Trip, it names every hero of the hardwood from the 1980s. The music video is something that screams out 1980s culture. It's so awesomely bad that it's great.

Over the course of the song, he names every single great from that area, starting with Dr. J and Moses Malone. He talks about Jerry West, Earl "The Pearl" Malone, and at some point, Kurtis drops in a Magic and Bird reference. It happens right before he talks about Bernard King.

On a side note, I never understood the music video karate. Someone needs to explain that one to me.

TAKING IT TO THE RACK (AKA - PREDICTION TIME)
The first weekend of college basketball is one of my favorite times of the year. There are over 350 teams sponsoring Division I, and they'll be playing ball pretty much everywhere this weekend.

From a purely BC perspective, this is a great opportunity for the team to really set itself up for the start of the season. After a couple of scrimmages, they'll have a chance to play for real results, and this weekend kicks off the start of "making it count."

There will be bumps along the road, especially in the beginning, since this team is so inexperienced. Jim Christian's admitted as much, but it's important to remember that the talent levels are there. As the team gets more chemistry and work out the kinks together, they'll adjust to the different styles. The key is to watch how they operate together, how they create opportunities, get back in transition, and run. Oh will they run.

Basketball season is back, and that, in of itself, is worth celebrating.

Boston College Athletics

Tip-Off: Opening Weekend Hits The Conte Forum Hardwood

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Ky Bowman

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Garland Owens

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A.J. Turner

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