BC-Western Kentucky preview

Bill O'Brien knew exactly what to say after the Michigan State win. Spending time with Saban and Belichick will leave an imprint when it comes to things like that. It was immediately onto Western Kentucky. Many BC seasons have been undone by taking an underdog lightly following a big win or good start. If O'Brien wants to change the culture and history around BC Football, taking care of business against the Hilltoppers is a good place to start. 

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
I was surprised by the reaction among some fans to Matt Sluka deciding to redshirt this year at UNLV after not getting what was promised via NIL. In my opinion, it is not quitting. He has his degree. He is there for football and if he was clearly promised something and they are not delivering financially, then he is entitled to walk. All of these people are using each other. And if he has his degree, what is in it for him to play for UNLV of all teams when they are jerking him around? He is the longest of long shots for an NFL career, so this might be his only football payday. Now he will get more next year and get to play one more season of football.

Three Simple Keys

1. More interceptions. WKU is going to throw it a lot. That's their most modus operandi. He need to give them different looks and keep ballhawking. Some pressure on the QBs would be nice too.

2.  Run the ball. Castellanos is out. Grayson James is in. It might help the passing game but shouldn't change our approach. We need to run the ball and run it well.

3. Fix the punting. I hope we don't need to punt much, but if we do, it needs to be clean and really change field position.

Gambling Notes

--WKU is 3-1 against the spread

-- BC is 3-1 against the spread

-- BC is 1-0 vs current Conference USA teams

The current line is BC-13

Factoid

BC has the chance to have its first perfect September at home since 2021.

Scoreboard Watching
Stanford-Clemson is intriguing. Clemson looked dead opening weekend but looked like monsters last week. Are they back? Is Stanford good? We will see.

BC is in trouble if...Grayson James is a mess. He has experience. He's been getting good reps. I think we coach the position well. All he has to be is serviceable and we win. 

I hope to see...BC avoid turnovers. It is so simple but for a team like BC, it is so true. We need to keep things clean. 

Bottom Line
Losing TC is a curve ball but it if he is not 100%, it is better than he misses this game than a conference game. Plus, if he can't run, he is not the same weapon. James should be fine and we should control the ball enough to win.

Final Score: BC 28, WKU 17

That wasn't fun

I had high hopes for the NIT. I thought BC even had a chance to win it. But after a solid first quarter, things fell apart and Western Kentucky never looked back. Losing stinks, but the way in which BC lost was also frustrating. They turned the ball over too often. They allowed way too many easy WKU baskets with bad D. Robinson and Bowman got points, but in an inefficient manner and couldn't score during BC's long droughts.

I know BC only had two days to prepare for the team and the new rules, but they didn't seem ready. And having a former WKU staffer as an assistant should have made the usual scouting challenges easier. BC couldn't find good shots and did not move the ball well or get much in transition.

If Robinson returns and Hawkins gets a 6th year, BC will be good next year. I just don't have much hope they will be special until the talent really improves. The NIT was just another example of this team not being ready to compete anytime anywhere against anyone.

BC returns to postseason via the NIT

In the grand scheme of things, an NIT appearance should be a disappointment. Even in the context of this BC season -- which had moments of brilliance -- an NIT bid should be a big "whatever." But that's not how I feel. I am legitimately excited about BC taking on Western Kentucky Tuesday night in the NIT.

The NIT should never be the goal and our last two NIT appearances were legit letdowns and both teams could and probably should have been at large in the NCAA Tournament. This year seems a little different. After a long drought filled with apathy, mediocrity and plain bad basketball, this feels like a small step back to respectability. 

Like any tournament, winning the NIT takes a little luck. It is also about wanting to be there and peaking at the right time. In our past two appearances, the players' lack of enthusiasm was palpable. I hope this year is different. BC can win the NIT and if they do, I think many people will feel that much better about our future.