Boston College will roll into the Comcast Center tonight with a record of 6-1 including wins over Rhode Island, Michigan and Saint Louis. The lone loss came in an OT loss at home against Providence, a game the Eagles were down big in the second half before making a big charge late. Like the Terps, this will be the first ACC game for the young Eagles.
After losing Jared Dudley (and Sean Williams earlier), the Eagles were expected to take a step or two back. Over the past few years, the team's offense had been anywhere from very good to stellar, but the defense had been at the opposite end of the spectrum, to the point where the Eagles ranked 239th in unadjusted defensive efficiency. With only Tyreese Rice to carry a large offensive role it seemed that the poor defense would finally catch up to the Eagles.
But the resourceful Al Skinner has overseen a transformation so far this season, as his Eagles now play good defense and win in spite of an offense that has been nothing special so far. That's largely because the Eagles now hit the defensive glass while also forcing just a few more turnovers. Boston College still isn't good in either of those two areas, but improving from sub-300 in the nation to a spot closer to respectability goes a long way.
Boston College continues to block shots - SR Tyrelle Blair leads all major conference players by blocking 15.1% of opponents two point shots so far - but unlike last year the Eagles have actually forced opponents to miss two pointers that weren't blocked. Combine that with fewer second chances, and that's a recipe for an improved defense.
Tyrese Rice has dominated the offense to no one's surprise, but the Eagles will need more. Corey Raji has been strong in his debut season, leading the team in ORtg in limited minutes while FR Rakim Sanders and SO Shamari Spears have also contributed some points to the mix while shooting well from the field.
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