Photo by: John Quackenbos
Old Big East Rivals Clash on Tuesday Night At Conte
January 12, 2021 | Men's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
BC takes on Miami after falling short against Virginia
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Last Saturday's 61-49 loss to Virginia felt like more of the same for the Boston College basketball team. The Eagles battled for a full 40 minutes against a nationally-ranked opponent, but remained winless in the ACC after their effort was snake-bitten by a lack of execution. They pushed the defending national champions to its limit, but couldn't get over the hump.
That surface level is what sticks out at the end of the day. Saturday's loss was, like every other game on the schedule, a nuanced discussion about BC's strengths and weaknesses in the context of a game of runs.Â
"When you play Virginia, they don't make many mistakes," head coach Jim Christian said. "When they make them, you have to make them pay, especially around the basket. I think Huff had a lot to with their success. In the beginning of the game, we were getting some lanes to the basket and beating some people, which is hard to do against them, and he was just creating havoc out there. He was coming out of nowhere to block shots. He's a phenomenal player. The growth he's made on both ends of the floor is really, really impressive."
Huff nearly registered a double-double against the Eagles even though foul trouble limited him to 29 minutes. He went 7-of-11 from the floor for a game-high 18 points, and his eight rebounds and five blocks illustrated dominance on the defensive end of the floor.
He regularly established Virginia's presence in the paint and helped the Cavaliers double BC's production inside. The 'Hoos scored 32 of their 61 points in the paint against the Eagles' frontcourt, which was down Steffon Mitchell due to injury. James Karnik battled but converted 2-of-12 field goal attempts, while the starting backcourt duo of Jay Heath and Wynston Tabbs combined for 2-for-19 shots.
Mitchell's absence created a gap both on defense and on the glass and further transitioned BC's roster into its positional depth chart, as freshman 7-footer Justin Vander Baan saw extended minutes for the first time in weeks. That opened the door for UVA forward Sam Hauser to add 17 points and 10 rebounds in an overall performance up front. The 35 points by Hauser and Huff opened Kihei Clark for 12 points on limited shooting and created a very direct lane for Virginia against BC's offense.
"We thought our defense was exceptional for most of the game," Christian said. "For the first 30 minutes, we played unbelievably hard and we fought against great size. We rebounded the ball pretty well, and then I thought offense affected our defense. What makes Virginia great isn't the pack line defense. They have ridiculous one-on-one defense. They don't get beat. They don't care if they shoot the ball or if they get a shot.Â
"Every guy who steps on the floor for Virginia guards the ball unbelievably well without help," Christian continued. "Sometimes they give some support help, but they really don't. They give unbelievable on-ball pressure. Whether they go 8-for-8 doesn't make a difference. That's the difference between Virginia and most great defensive teams. Then they have a great player who can protect the rim. So we had a couple of runs, but we just didn't make shots. We're not going to win many games if our guys that have been very consistent have the numbers that they had."
It's true that Saturday's loss dropped the Eagles to 2-9 on the season and the numbers staring BC in the face are neither popular nor good. The team is 1-4 in its last five games and are being outscored on the season by an average of 7.5 points per game. The rebounding margin, turnover margin and shooting percentages are all lower than opponents. Miami, despite its 5-5 record, is starting to pick up steam with two wins in its last five games.
BC's record and overall numbers cover up the true strength of the schedule faced. The Eagles hold the fifth toughest schedule in the country and are still ranked No. 99 in the latest KenPom rankings entering Tuesday night. They are No. 103 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index and are ranked right behind Notre Dame with a shouting distance shot at Pittsburgh.
That means there is an opportunity for BC to right the ship before it absorbs too much water. Time is running thin for that to happen, especially with the number of road games facing the end of January, but Tuesday night starts a stretch that includes a four-game Big East revival against Miami, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
The familiar storyline facing the Miami game is one of a team capable of playing well but that self-inflicts wounds with a lack of execution. Playing at home could jumpstart that, but it has to happen on Tuesday against a team battling for national tournament aspirations.
Boston College and Miami will tip off at 7 p.m. from Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game can be seen as part of the ACC's Regional Sports Network coverage, which is locally in Boston on NESN. The Game can also be heard on the BC Learfield IMG College Sports Network, locally on WEEI 850 AM.
That surface level is what sticks out at the end of the day. Saturday's loss was, like every other game on the schedule, a nuanced discussion about BC's strengths and weaknesses in the context of a game of runs.Â
"When you play Virginia, they don't make many mistakes," head coach Jim Christian said. "When they make them, you have to make them pay, especially around the basket. I think Huff had a lot to with their success. In the beginning of the game, we were getting some lanes to the basket and beating some people, which is hard to do against them, and he was just creating havoc out there. He was coming out of nowhere to block shots. He's a phenomenal player. The growth he's made on both ends of the floor is really, really impressive."
Huff nearly registered a double-double against the Eagles even though foul trouble limited him to 29 minutes. He went 7-of-11 from the floor for a game-high 18 points, and his eight rebounds and five blocks illustrated dominance on the defensive end of the floor.
He regularly established Virginia's presence in the paint and helped the Cavaliers double BC's production inside. The 'Hoos scored 32 of their 61 points in the paint against the Eagles' frontcourt, which was down Steffon Mitchell due to injury. James Karnik battled but converted 2-of-12 field goal attempts, while the starting backcourt duo of Jay Heath and Wynston Tabbs combined for 2-for-19 shots.
Mitchell's absence created a gap both on defense and on the glass and further transitioned BC's roster into its positional depth chart, as freshman 7-footer Justin Vander Baan saw extended minutes for the first time in weeks. That opened the door for UVA forward Sam Hauser to add 17 points and 10 rebounds in an overall performance up front. The 35 points by Hauser and Huff opened Kihei Clark for 12 points on limited shooting and created a very direct lane for Virginia against BC's offense.
"We thought our defense was exceptional for most of the game," Christian said. "For the first 30 minutes, we played unbelievably hard and we fought against great size. We rebounded the ball pretty well, and then I thought offense affected our defense. What makes Virginia great isn't the pack line defense. They have ridiculous one-on-one defense. They don't get beat. They don't care if they shoot the ball or if they get a shot.Â
"Every guy who steps on the floor for Virginia guards the ball unbelievably well without help," Christian continued. "Sometimes they give some support help, but they really don't. They give unbelievable on-ball pressure. Whether they go 8-for-8 doesn't make a difference. That's the difference between Virginia and most great defensive teams. Then they have a great player who can protect the rim. So we had a couple of runs, but we just didn't make shots. We're not going to win many games if our guys that have been very consistent have the numbers that they had."
It's true that Saturday's loss dropped the Eagles to 2-9 on the season and the numbers staring BC in the face are neither popular nor good. The team is 1-4 in its last five games and are being outscored on the season by an average of 7.5 points per game. The rebounding margin, turnover margin and shooting percentages are all lower than opponents. Miami, despite its 5-5 record, is starting to pick up steam with two wins in its last five games.
BC's record and overall numbers cover up the true strength of the schedule faced. The Eagles hold the fifth toughest schedule in the country and are still ranked No. 99 in the latest KenPom rankings entering Tuesday night. They are No. 103 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index and are ranked right behind Notre Dame with a shouting distance shot at Pittsburgh.
That means there is an opportunity for BC to right the ship before it absorbs too much water. Time is running thin for that to happen, especially with the number of road games facing the end of January, but Tuesday night starts a stretch that includes a four-game Big East revival against Miami, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
The familiar storyline facing the Miami game is one of a team capable of playing well but that self-inflicts wounds with a lack of execution. Playing at home could jumpstart that, but it has to happen on Tuesday against a team battling for national tournament aspirations.
Boston College and Miami will tip off at 7 p.m. from Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game can be seen as part of the ACC's Regional Sports Network coverage, which is locally in Boston on NESN. The Game can also be heard on the BC Learfield IMG College Sports Network, locally on WEEI 850 AM.
Players Mentioned
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