Photo by: Chris Remick
Thursday Three-Pointer: Dec. 7, 2023
December 07, 2023 | Men's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
BC is hitting its stride as history comes to town on Friday.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Only about five minutes were off the second half clock of Saturday's game between Boston College and NC State when Jaeden Zackery executed a play worthy of defining an entire game or season.Â
He was guarding - one-on-one against Wolfpack guard Jayden Taylor - when the offensive player, was forced into a pressure situation as the shot clock wound under five seconds. They had been hand checking for the better part of 10 seconds to that point, but Taylor, understanding the time crunch, attempted a dribble drive on Zackery by putting a hand on the defender's back. He crossed over, but it failed spectacularly when Zackery stepped to his right and denied Taylor's path to the net.
The two players tangled, and Zackery hit the floor by lunging for the ball as the shot clock wound under three seconds. He plucked at the ball and turned Taylor to his own right hand, but the Wolfpack guard ran right into Claudell Harris, Jr. after he left his man and switched onto Taylor.
Harris tipped the ball to Zackery, who was on his back to his feet, and in that moment, Prince Aligbe, who had been guarding the corner shot, sprinted into the front court. Zackery punched the ball to Harris on the left side, and DJ Horne, Harris' original assignment, was the only player left to recognize the turnover situation against the three Eagles.
He cut inside to prevent the pass to Aligbe, but he also slowed when he realized he had no shot at stopping Harris. To the casual viewer, it looked like Horne knew what would happen, and if he didn't, the roar of the crowd told him exactly how the play ended. Harris' first step into the painted area sent him flying through the air, and with Aligbe on the right flank, he dunked through the rim and sent Conte Forum into an eruption.
Somewhere in the basketball heavens, Red Auerbach likely watched the play with a smile on his face since the whole exchange looked like a textbook case of his "Red on Roundball" video series. Zackery's play resulted in Harris' highlight, and while BC didn't win, the performance in the 84-78 loss was enough for Earl Grant to sense how his team changed when it came to elite ACC competition.
"I thought we played hard, I thought we played tough," Grant said about the overall game. "At the end of the day, NC State made some really talented tough shots. They made some shots that were dagger shots, and on the defensive glass, where we usually win the rebounding war, we didn't win it. We did some really good things, but we just didn't win. So we'll need to learn from it and grow from it and move onto the next game."
Three days later, BC destroyed Central Connecticut in a return to its non-conference schedule, but the statement from last week was clear enough: Boston College basketball was still able to define itself through defensive strength, and with the end of the non-conference slate looming, the Eagles were starting to round into form.
Here's what else could be taken from the past week of BC basketball:
1) Friends...How many of us have them? Friends...Ones we can depend on.
Grant and NC State head coach Kevin Keatts had a shared history dating back to the 2016 and 2017 Big South Conference championships won by Keatts' UNC-Wilmington teams, so there wasn't much the Wolfpack threw at BC that wasn't either previously seen or anticipated. NC State's offense cooked up a number of different scoring scenarios around a talented backcourt and a unique, 275-pound force in forward DJ Burns, Jr., but BC countered it by understanding how center Quinten Post freed himself for major production against Vanderbilt after being trapped into mistakes by both Colorado State and Loyola-Chicago.
Grant figured that NC State wouldn't want Burns guarding Post in the high post area, and the Wolfpack validated his thinking when the big man switched and avoided guarding Post. Devin McGlockton subsequently shifted closer to the baseline, and a mismatch emerged when the switch resulted in foul trouble for Ben Middlebrooks, a 6-10 forward who transferred from Clemson, who was left in isolation against small forward Prince Aligbe.
"They made that adjustment to switch every one of QP's ball screens," Grant said, "which prevented him from getting a pick-and-pop. We thought they would do that, so we talked about it in practice. It kind of stymied us early, and it took about 10 minutes before we realized that we needed to just keep the ball moving and not force anything inside. But that's the adjustment that they made, putting their [power forward] on QP while switching their [center] onto Prince, which left Devin unguarded."
Staying ahead of the Wolfpack within that chess match allowed BC to dictate the game flow despite NC State's lead on the scoreboard. The early foul trouble that forced Middlebrooks to the bench simultaneously forced Burns to play 18 minutes in the first half, and Mohamed Diarra played 16 minutes off the bench. He was eventually spelled by Ernest Ross, but the lanky sophomore picked up two quick fouls in roughly 90 seconds of floor time, which in turn forced Diarra back onto the floor.
Those minutes eventually accumulated and tired both of those frontcourt players, and once the game moved to overtime, Burns fouled out with two turnovers and three fouls in the extra frame. Diarra, meanwhile, grabbed six rebounds across the last 25 minutes after having 12 in the first half, and while he nailed a dagger three in overtime with two blocks on his resume, BC very obviously exposed them by having Post go 7-for-9 in the second half with three offensive boards after McGlockton scored nine points in the first half.
"They were playing back," McGlockton said, "so it gave me the opportunity to hit a jump shot. I had been able to drive [in the first half], and that opened up our offense [in the second half]."
"I thought we controlled the tempo for the most part," Grant said. "They had 62 points with two minutes to go, and that's good for us. We had our chances to win it. We just needed a good here and a good stop there, so we can't overreact to it. We have to clean ourselves up and get ready for the next one."
2) Seen you last night. Saw you standing there. Couldn't picture the color of your hair.
Saturday kicked off ACC play with a hard-fought loss, so it was appropriate that the next game signified a bounce-back with a win over the Blue Devils…of Central Connecticut. Not exactly those Blue Devils that BC fans are accustomed to seeing on an annual basis, CCSU came to Conte Forum with a history dating back to the inception of the old East Coast Conference. The three-time Northeast Conference champions under Howie Dickenman were under the direction of former Fairfield assistant coach Patrick Sellers in an attempt to rebuild the tradition that once visited the New Britain-based mid-major.
The Blue Devils previously defeated Patriot League opponents by beating Army and Holy Cross, but their first game against a power conference opponent instead showcased the display of raw talent and ability within the BC program. The 82-68 win was actually closer than the game indicated after the Eagles built a 33-point lead in the early stages of the second half, and the majority of the starting lineup didn't see anything beyond 20 minutes in a game where MJ Harris sat on the inactive list.
"We haven't actually been up that big on that many occasions," Grant said, "so this was the first time that opportunity presented itself to try some different things. Most of our games have been battles, but we went out with a little bit of a cushion. The starters didn't play over the last 14 minutes of the game, and we were fortunate to play guys and hopefully build our bench more for more confidence as we go down this stretch before Christmas break."
Every player on the BC bench earned minutes in the CCSU win, and the game ended with the spotlight on a group of walk-ons who otherwise operate in the shadows after even the depth players produced numbers and highlights. Donald Hand, Jr. had a game-high 16 points after shooting 5-for-9 with a 3-for-6 night from beyond the arc, and Mason Madsen matched his output with one less free throw for a 15-point night. Elijah Strong scored a career-best nine points by going 4-for-7 from the floor, and the Eagles produced 11 steals while forcing 17 turnovers of a CCSU team that had two players pushing towards 20 points.
"I think that making shots helps everything," Madsen said. "We've struggled a bit to start the year to where it's come in spurts, but I think we just hadn't put that full game together. Having that offense earlier in the game, it allowed us to take a few more chances.
"I'm sure Coach Grant probably doesn't want to hear that," he laughed, "because he wants us to stay solid on defense, but you can take a couple more chances than maybe you want to because you're not going to make them if you don't take them."
3) Kid 'n Play back rolling strong, dope and def.
COVID-era college basketball ended one of the sport's greatest-running storylines when coaches opted for more casual looks on the sidelines. Tailored suits went out of style, so to speak, as more people wore team-issued gear, and the high class of coaches like Jay Wright, Roy Williams, Johnny Dawkins, John Calipari and countless others turned the lights out on the runway brands and elite-level drip of years past.
The sweats and polo shirts aren't going away any time soon, but a number of coaches, including Earl Grant, are opting to bring style back to the sidelines. No longer bound by his walking boot, Grant switched from team-issued gear to a suit-over-sweater look for the Vanderbilt game, and the look stuck around through NC State and Central Connecticut.
"We like wearing the suits," Grant said. "This is a profession, and we can still wear sweaters under the suit. I like the sweaters. It makes packing a little easier, but we went with suits and no ties because I ruptured my Achilles, which means I can't wear a lot of dress shoes. There are a lot more sneakers involved."
Fashion seems like a strange topic when it comes to college basketball, but the growing movement to reinstate style is part of a trend among coaches. Wright infamously purchased suits for his graduating seniors after every season, and Williams tried to rip his jacket during a 2018 ACC Tournament win over Syracuse. Mike Krzyzewski used to throw his suit coat in frustration, and even the sight of Grant, pre-injury, playing out defensive sets in his tailored look made for a part of his tenures with both College of Charleston and BC.
Unfortunately, though, in asking Grant if he'd ever consider visiting Wright's tailor, I neglected one fact: Gabe D'Annunzio, passed away in 2021 after a bout with COVID-19. Maybe the most underrated basketball legend of all-time, he was an invaluable part of Villanova's sideline just because of its head coach.
Post-Game Huddle: Just got paid. Friday night. Party huntin'. Place is right!
Holy Cross was one of the first prominent Northeast powerhouses after it won the 1947 national championship. The school produced Bob Cousy and Tommy Heinsohn before Togo Palazzi won the NIT in 1956, and the tournament appearances of those earlier days were the gold standard for a state that didn't produce many NCAA-level teams outside of the Crusaders or Boston College, though UMass is worth mentioning for its token appearance in the 1962 NCAA Tournament.
BC and Holy Cross were the only two teams competing at that elite of a level, and history lurched forward by pitting them against one another on a semi-annual basis. Cousy memorably filled the Crusaders' void in the 1960s by coaching BC to five straight postseasons and two NCAA tournaments with his 1967 team beating UConn and St. John's before losing to North Carolina in the Elite Eight, but both teams enjoyed berths in the 1970s and 1980s before the Big East and Patriot League formed and rose to prominence.
By the time all that happened, the rivalry between BC and Holy Cross matured to the point that the teams traded win streaks over the decades. The Crusaders won twice in 1977 and again in 1978 before a home-and-home split in 1979 kicked off a three-year span of trading wins and losses. BC then grabbed the upper hand by winning seven straight, but Holy Cross responded with three straight wins before a 1990 overtime win at home.
Through it all, Holy Cross owned the definitive series lead because the Crusaders romped through wins in the early 20th century, but the eventual de-escalation of the Patriot League opposite the Big East's overall power grab led the Eagles to thump through the turn of the next century. BC eventually made its way to the ACC, and after a 2012 win in Chestnut Hill, the rivalry went dormant until the 2021-22 season.
The days when both teams dotted the national landscape disappeared into the history books as games against power conference teams fell more in line with the rest of the country, but Friday night very much matters to the regional landscape. Holy Cross supporters unabashedly dislike Boston College, and a win would make the Crusaders' season all the more meaningful. BC, meanwhile, needs to avoid a loss to a mid-major team while maintaining bragging rights that its alumni base installed when it jumped into the big time with the rest of the old Big East.
It's a game that runs deep in Massachusetts, and with the city championship in hand after beating Harvard earlier in the season, it makes sense for the Eagles to finish conquering the Commonwealth with a game against their most historic rival.
He was guarding - one-on-one against Wolfpack guard Jayden Taylor - when the offensive player, was forced into a pressure situation as the shot clock wound under five seconds. They had been hand checking for the better part of 10 seconds to that point, but Taylor, understanding the time crunch, attempted a dribble drive on Zackery by putting a hand on the defender's back. He crossed over, but it failed spectacularly when Zackery stepped to his right and denied Taylor's path to the net.
The two players tangled, and Zackery hit the floor by lunging for the ball as the shot clock wound under three seconds. He plucked at the ball and turned Taylor to his own right hand, but the Wolfpack guard ran right into Claudell Harris, Jr. after he left his man and switched onto Taylor.
Harris tipped the ball to Zackery, who was on his back to his feet, and in that moment, Prince Aligbe, who had been guarding the corner shot, sprinted into the front court. Zackery punched the ball to Harris on the left side, and DJ Horne, Harris' original assignment, was the only player left to recognize the turnover situation against the three Eagles.
He cut inside to prevent the pass to Aligbe, but he also slowed when he realized he had no shot at stopping Harris. To the casual viewer, it looked like Horne knew what would happen, and if he didn't, the roar of the crowd told him exactly how the play ended. Harris' first step into the painted area sent him flying through the air, and with Aligbe on the right flank, he dunked through the rim and sent Conte Forum into an eruption.
Somewhere in the basketball heavens, Red Auerbach likely watched the play with a smile on his face since the whole exchange looked like a textbook case of his "Red on Roundball" video series. Zackery's play resulted in Harris' highlight, and while BC didn't win, the performance in the 84-78 loss was enough for Earl Grant to sense how his team changed when it came to elite ACC competition.
"I thought we played hard, I thought we played tough," Grant said about the overall game. "At the end of the day, NC State made some really talented tough shots. They made some shots that were dagger shots, and on the defensive glass, where we usually win the rebounding war, we didn't win it. We did some really good things, but we just didn't win. So we'll need to learn from it and grow from it and move onto the next game."
Three days later, BC destroyed Central Connecticut in a return to its non-conference schedule, but the statement from last week was clear enough: Boston College basketball was still able to define itself through defensive strength, and with the end of the non-conference slate looming, the Eagles were starting to round into form.
Here's what else could be taken from the past week of BC basketball:
1) Friends...How many of us have them? Friends...Ones we can depend on.
Grant and NC State head coach Kevin Keatts had a shared history dating back to the 2016 and 2017 Big South Conference championships won by Keatts' UNC-Wilmington teams, so there wasn't much the Wolfpack threw at BC that wasn't either previously seen or anticipated. NC State's offense cooked up a number of different scoring scenarios around a talented backcourt and a unique, 275-pound force in forward DJ Burns, Jr., but BC countered it by understanding how center Quinten Post freed himself for major production against Vanderbilt after being trapped into mistakes by both Colorado State and Loyola-Chicago.
Grant figured that NC State wouldn't want Burns guarding Post in the high post area, and the Wolfpack validated his thinking when the big man switched and avoided guarding Post. Devin McGlockton subsequently shifted closer to the baseline, and a mismatch emerged when the switch resulted in foul trouble for Ben Middlebrooks, a 6-10 forward who transferred from Clemson, who was left in isolation against small forward Prince Aligbe.
"They made that adjustment to switch every one of QP's ball screens," Grant said, "which prevented him from getting a pick-and-pop. We thought they would do that, so we talked about it in practice. It kind of stymied us early, and it took about 10 minutes before we realized that we needed to just keep the ball moving and not force anything inside. But that's the adjustment that they made, putting their [power forward] on QP while switching their [center] onto Prince, which left Devin unguarded."
Staying ahead of the Wolfpack within that chess match allowed BC to dictate the game flow despite NC State's lead on the scoreboard. The early foul trouble that forced Middlebrooks to the bench simultaneously forced Burns to play 18 minutes in the first half, and Mohamed Diarra played 16 minutes off the bench. He was eventually spelled by Ernest Ross, but the lanky sophomore picked up two quick fouls in roughly 90 seconds of floor time, which in turn forced Diarra back onto the floor.
Those minutes eventually accumulated and tired both of those frontcourt players, and once the game moved to overtime, Burns fouled out with two turnovers and three fouls in the extra frame. Diarra, meanwhile, grabbed six rebounds across the last 25 minutes after having 12 in the first half, and while he nailed a dagger three in overtime with two blocks on his resume, BC very obviously exposed them by having Post go 7-for-9 in the second half with three offensive boards after McGlockton scored nine points in the first half.
"They were playing back," McGlockton said, "so it gave me the opportunity to hit a jump shot. I had been able to drive [in the first half], and that opened up our offense [in the second half]."
"I thought we controlled the tempo for the most part," Grant said. "They had 62 points with two minutes to go, and that's good for us. We had our chances to win it. We just needed a good here and a good stop there, so we can't overreact to it. We have to clean ourselves up and get ready for the next one."
2) Seen you last night. Saw you standing there. Couldn't picture the color of your hair.
Saturday kicked off ACC play with a hard-fought loss, so it was appropriate that the next game signified a bounce-back with a win over the Blue Devils…of Central Connecticut. Not exactly those Blue Devils that BC fans are accustomed to seeing on an annual basis, CCSU came to Conte Forum with a history dating back to the inception of the old East Coast Conference. The three-time Northeast Conference champions under Howie Dickenman were under the direction of former Fairfield assistant coach Patrick Sellers in an attempt to rebuild the tradition that once visited the New Britain-based mid-major.
The Blue Devils previously defeated Patriot League opponents by beating Army and Holy Cross, but their first game against a power conference opponent instead showcased the display of raw talent and ability within the BC program. The 82-68 win was actually closer than the game indicated after the Eagles built a 33-point lead in the early stages of the second half, and the majority of the starting lineup didn't see anything beyond 20 minutes in a game where MJ Harris sat on the inactive list.
"We haven't actually been up that big on that many occasions," Grant said, "so this was the first time that opportunity presented itself to try some different things. Most of our games have been battles, but we went out with a little bit of a cushion. The starters didn't play over the last 14 minutes of the game, and we were fortunate to play guys and hopefully build our bench more for more confidence as we go down this stretch before Christmas break."
Every player on the BC bench earned minutes in the CCSU win, and the game ended with the spotlight on a group of walk-ons who otherwise operate in the shadows after even the depth players produced numbers and highlights. Donald Hand, Jr. had a game-high 16 points after shooting 5-for-9 with a 3-for-6 night from beyond the arc, and Mason Madsen matched his output with one less free throw for a 15-point night. Elijah Strong scored a career-best nine points by going 4-for-7 from the floor, and the Eagles produced 11 steals while forcing 17 turnovers of a CCSU team that had two players pushing towards 20 points.
"I think that making shots helps everything," Madsen said. "We've struggled a bit to start the year to where it's come in spurts, but I think we just hadn't put that full game together. Having that offense earlier in the game, it allowed us to take a few more chances.
"I'm sure Coach Grant probably doesn't want to hear that," he laughed, "because he wants us to stay solid on defense, but you can take a couple more chances than maybe you want to because you're not going to make them if you don't take them."
3) Kid 'n Play back rolling strong, dope and def.
COVID-era college basketball ended one of the sport's greatest-running storylines when coaches opted for more casual looks on the sidelines. Tailored suits went out of style, so to speak, as more people wore team-issued gear, and the high class of coaches like Jay Wright, Roy Williams, Johnny Dawkins, John Calipari and countless others turned the lights out on the runway brands and elite-level drip of years past.
The sweats and polo shirts aren't going away any time soon, but a number of coaches, including Earl Grant, are opting to bring style back to the sidelines. No longer bound by his walking boot, Grant switched from team-issued gear to a suit-over-sweater look for the Vanderbilt game, and the look stuck around through NC State and Central Connecticut.
"We like wearing the suits," Grant said. "This is a profession, and we can still wear sweaters under the suit. I like the sweaters. It makes packing a little easier, but we went with suits and no ties because I ruptured my Achilles, which means I can't wear a lot of dress shoes. There are a lot more sneakers involved."
Fashion seems like a strange topic when it comes to college basketball, but the growing movement to reinstate style is part of a trend among coaches. Wright infamously purchased suits for his graduating seniors after every season, and Williams tried to rip his jacket during a 2018 ACC Tournament win over Syracuse. Mike Krzyzewski used to throw his suit coat in frustration, and even the sight of Grant, pre-injury, playing out defensive sets in his tailored look made for a part of his tenures with both College of Charleston and BC.
Unfortunately, though, in asking Grant if he'd ever consider visiting Wright's tailor, I neglected one fact: Gabe D'Annunzio, passed away in 2021 after a bout with COVID-19. Maybe the most underrated basketball legend of all-time, he was an invaluable part of Villanova's sideline just because of its head coach.
Post-Game Huddle: Just got paid. Friday night. Party huntin'. Place is right!
Holy Cross was one of the first prominent Northeast powerhouses after it won the 1947 national championship. The school produced Bob Cousy and Tommy Heinsohn before Togo Palazzi won the NIT in 1956, and the tournament appearances of those earlier days were the gold standard for a state that didn't produce many NCAA-level teams outside of the Crusaders or Boston College, though UMass is worth mentioning for its token appearance in the 1962 NCAA Tournament.
BC and Holy Cross were the only two teams competing at that elite of a level, and history lurched forward by pitting them against one another on a semi-annual basis. Cousy memorably filled the Crusaders' void in the 1960s by coaching BC to five straight postseasons and two NCAA tournaments with his 1967 team beating UConn and St. John's before losing to North Carolina in the Elite Eight, but both teams enjoyed berths in the 1970s and 1980s before the Big East and Patriot League formed and rose to prominence.
By the time all that happened, the rivalry between BC and Holy Cross matured to the point that the teams traded win streaks over the decades. The Crusaders won twice in 1977 and again in 1978 before a home-and-home split in 1979 kicked off a three-year span of trading wins and losses. BC then grabbed the upper hand by winning seven straight, but Holy Cross responded with three straight wins before a 1990 overtime win at home.
Through it all, Holy Cross owned the definitive series lead because the Crusaders romped through wins in the early 20th century, but the eventual de-escalation of the Patriot League opposite the Big East's overall power grab led the Eagles to thump through the turn of the next century. BC eventually made its way to the ACC, and after a 2012 win in Chestnut Hill, the rivalry went dormant until the 2021-22 season.
The days when both teams dotted the national landscape disappeared into the history books as games against power conference teams fell more in line with the rest of the country, but Friday night very much matters to the regional landscape. Holy Cross supporters unabashedly dislike Boston College, and a win would make the Crusaders' season all the more meaningful. BC, meanwhile, needs to avoid a loss to a mid-major team while maintaining bragging rights that its alumni base installed when it jumped into the big time with the rest of the old Big East.
It's a game that runs deep in Massachusetts, and with the city championship in hand after beating Harvard earlier in the season, it makes sense for the Eagles to finish conquering the Commonwealth with a game against their most historic rival.
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballPatrick and Ella Might Run the Marathon? | The Podcast For Boston: BC Cross Country/Track and Field
Wednesday, September 17
Football: Owen McGowan Postgame Press Conference (Sept. 14, 2025)
Sunday, September 14
Football: Reed Harris Postgame Media (Sept. 14, 2025)
Sunday, September 14
Football Availability - Coach O'Brien Media Availability
Sunday, September 14
