BC looks ok(ish) against 'Canes

The final score of BC's loss to Miami doesn't tell the whole story. The game was closer than it appeared. Many of the young players moved and scored with confidence (Diallo and Robinson). Plenty of the young guys looked like ACC players. But positive things still weren't enough. If BC is ever going to win an ACC game, multiple people need to play well. You can't have Carter and, to a lessor extent, Clifford not play well.

The overall effort was better too. But that doesn't offset the TOs from the guards. There was one sequence where Hicks coughed it up, stole it back and then coughed it up again. It is maddening.

I want to consider this game encouraging, but the team has shown little progress or momentum game to game. Hopefully this week is different.

Basketball back on a roll

Now that the Chipotle issues are behind them, the basketball team seems to be playing better. They beat Fordham Tuesday to get back to .500 and have won three in a row. Fordham is a pretty good team, so this win is a decent indicator. The team also played its best defense in weeks. Other things to like:

-- Diallo is providing solid minutes off the bench and he's avoiding foul trouble.
-- BC is blocking plenty of shots. We couldn't exploit length and height earlier in the year. No we are finally playing smart, aggressive D.
-- Winning despite a poor shooting night. We are still missing way too many shots, but the ball movement and rebounding is getting better. More shots will drop soon.

The team has one more game before ACC play. A win would be a nice boost before  the schedule becomes brutal.

BC runs out of steam against UNC

It was a nice little run there. BC rattled off four straight conference wins amidst Olivier Hanlan's scoring binge. But it wasn't going to last forever...and didn't as UNC controlled most of the game in BC's 81-63 loss. Back-to-back games are tough for deep team. For thin squads like BC, they are brutal. BC didn't get any points from their bench until the game was well out of hand late in the second half.

With the loss, the season is over. BC finished 13-19, 4-14 ACC and 1-1 in the ACC Tournament. That's disappointing to me based on my preseason expectations, but I am encouraged enough with what I saw to think Christian might be a decent coach. I will have more recaps on the season in the coming weeks.

With specifics to this game, here are a few thoughts:

-- Who is the real Dennis Clifford? For two years we kept hearing that a healthy Dennis Clifford would have been a difference maker. With the player we saw as a freshman, that made sense. He was a legit 7-footer with some good offensive skills. Now I don't know what we have. He showed flashes this season and worked hard on D, but I don't know what he can be. He just got man handled the past two days on the boards. Many times by smaller men. The rebounding was better against UNC, but still not enough.
-- Terrible refs. It wasn't the reason we lost the game, but the ticky tack fouls on Heckmann didn't help. You would hope that there was some consistency in a tournament like this. But things were all over the place.
-- Hanlan starts cold. He got his his points and played well enough, but his shots weren't falling early. That contributed to the halftime deficit.

The ACC Tournament doesn't really mean much when you are 12 seed. But I have hope. I have hope that things will matter soon.

Eagles keep rolling

After the last win, I joked on Twitter about BC running the table. Now it feels a little more possible. The team played really well against Wake for their third straight win. Even if we don't make a big run in the ACC, this has been an encouraging end to the season. It seemed like the team checked out on Christian a few weeks ago. But they clearly responded. Here are some other thoughts:

-- 'Good' Heckmann. Christian is on record saying that when Heckmann plays well, BC plays well. Saturday he played well enough. There were still too many turnovers, but he shot well and played better defense.

-- Batten's D. As much as Hanlan's scoring and a softer schedule contributed to this run, it was also due to improved defense. Batten keys that D. He's our most intense defender and is very good as slowing the other team's sets.

-- Clifford contributing without scoring. He was cold shooting, but he was still important to the win...especially his rebounding.

Hanlan's game was good, but probably not good enough to earn Player of the Year votes. But who cares about awards now? We have the Conference to win. Let's keep it rolling Tuesday!

Eagles on a roll

BC won again. Back-to-back! I almost forgot that was even possible! BC's first half was better, but overall they did enough down the stretch to beat Virginia Tech 66-59. Other than escaping the bottom of the ACC standings, the other big takeaway was that BC didn't need a great game from Hanlan. After a strong first half, Olivier cooled off, yet BC still controlled. Some other thoughts:

-- Batten! His 18 led BC scorers. I loved the way he drove to the basket. Even with missing a dunk he finished 7 for 9 from the floor. His slashing kept VT honest and opened other things on the floor.
-- Good D again. Virginia Tech is bad, but BC's defense made them look worse. 4 blocks and controlling the boards limited shots. The movement on D was smooth too (until the final minute...because BC has to give their fans ulcers).
-- Winning without a bench. In many losses, Christian blamed the bench. In this game he only went eight deep and only got five points from the bench, but it didn't matter. All the starters played well.

The team is coming together. It is a little late to matter, but that shouldn't stop them. Maybe we can make a small run in the ACC Tourney.

Woo Hoo! We won!

That's how it is supposed to be! BC played well in nearly all aspects of the game and beat NC State comfortably. If BC came to play, the Wolfpack clearly did not. This is the same NC State that beat Duke and UNC. Clearly they expected to coast and ran into a focused BC. The best takeaway from the game was that BC played the full 40 minutes and didn't let the W slip away.

-- Defensive rebounding. The best part of the defense was limiting second chance. Leading the charge were our guards. I don't know if Christian told them to hang back and crash the boards, or if this was just a random day, but it made a huge difference.

-- Not folding late. Admit it: when Clifford fouled out with plenty of time left, we all got a bit nervous. But BC converted enough free throws and didn't make too many mistakes.

-- Hanlan stays hot. He didn't score 30, but he still played really well. His early 3s set the tone. He also did more defensively than he's done of late.

One win can make a huge difference. I now believe the guys can make it two in a row when they take on VT Tuesday.

Something special and something miserable

Olivier Hanlan is in the middle of a hot streak that has rarely been seen around BC. He scored 39 against Pitt despite getting double-teamed on nearly every possession. Yet his heroics were not enough as BC lost 71-65. The best thing about the past two weeks is that any concerns about Hanlan's shooting is over. His percentages from 3 and on FTs have improved and are reverting to his norms from the past two years. The guy is an elite offensive player, regardless of the coach, the system and certainly the players around him. This team is terrible. I would say just give the ball the Hanlan, but that is what they are doing at this point. The problem comes when the other guys have to play defense, grab a rebound or pass. BC was in a big hole early just from stupid plays from Brown, Heckmann and Clifford. If not for Hanlan this team would be completely unwatchable.

The depleted bench cannot score. We know that. But against any team with size, we are cooked. Carney plays hard but is over matched. Odio has athleticism, but is still not a complete player.

Heckmann is a mess. When he's off, he needs to get closer to the basket and help on the boards.

Brown's stats are bit misleading. He was our second leading scorer, but did not have a good night. The turnovers and whining to the refs hurt the team.

As the season comes to a close, I am going to keep watching to see what Hanlan might do next. I am also aware that these might be his last few weeks as an Eagle.

No D against ND

I can't figure this team out. I keep thinking that one thing is the problem and then in the next few games the issues will be something different. Saturday it was the Defense. Defense was supposed to be a focal point The D even improved for long stretches. Yet it was the problem in the loss to Notre Dame. The Irish are highly efficient on Offense, but they aren't this good. A few thoughts:

-- Too many easy baskets. We didn't turn the ball over very often, but nearly all the TOs lead to Notre Dame points. They scored at will close to the basket. Where was the help for Clifford?

-- Don't think about Colson. As frustrating as it is to watch a couple of Mass kids wipe the floor with BC, that really doesn't fall on Christian. I love Al, but keeping Colson around was one of the things that hurt the program. Papa was not a great recruiter and couldn't fill the void left by Cooley and Coen. Notice that Colson Sr never caught on again with a college program -- not even with one of Skinner's old assistants. I hope we start getting the best players in New England but our current rosters is not a mess because of our current coach.

-- Hanlan keeps rolling. He didn't score 30, but Hanlan still played well. Notre Dame tried to minimize his driving and instead he hit a bunch of 3s. Too bad we wasted another good game.

We wasted a good Hanlan game and a good Clifford game. Maybe against Pitt things will be better.

Hanlan can't do it alone against 'Noles

We've had plenty of one-man teams before. Dana Barros was called on to do a lot while at BC. More recently Tyrese Rice needed to lead a young and mediocre BC group. But I can't think of a better player surrounded by worse talent than our current set up with Olivier Hanlan and this BC roster. Wednesday night he scored 32. The rest of the team scored 28 in BC's loss to Florida State. While the continued losing turned the season into a painful chore, I hope Hanlan keeps up his scoring barrage. It might be our only hope to steal a game or two. Other thoughts:

-- Brown in a funk. Aaron Brown continues to make terrible decisions all over the court. The forced, bad layups are obvious, but he also made mistakes on D. Someone else besides Hanlan needs to score but I don't think it is going to be Brown.
-- Weird minutes. Magarity's absence puts Christian in a bit of a jam, but I still couldn't get a handle on why we were playing the guys we played. Owens was okay...but 30+ minutes? FSU is tough matchup for us. Maybe going a bit smaller with more minutes for Batten would have made sense.
-- Defensive letdowns. Some of FSU's 3-point shooting was luck, but BC also didn't play great D. Too many open looks and too many mental errors.

In the coming weeks there will plenty of speculation on Hanlan's future. The good news for BC fans is that his options are not great. Christian is going to have to sell him hard that staying will be best for his long-term career.

Can't win

Jinxes are a fun cop out, but maybe there is something to this team being cursed. How else do you explain Heckmann's point blank layup at the end of the first OT not going in? BC's couldn't keep up the momentum in the second OT and lost to Miami. Heckmann's play was bad -- Brad Daugherty was incredulous that he didn't dunk. But it wasn't the sole reason BC loss. I do think there is something to playing closer games. Maybe the luck will turn. Here are some other thoughts.

-- The Heckmann play. Lost in the missed layup was the great play design. Christian made a great call. The 'Canes focused on Hanlan, our guys spread out and Heckmann had a clear path to the basket. I tell myself that with better recruits, that design wins the game.
-- Terrible shooting. It is amazing that BC pushed this game as far as it did with such a bad shooting afternoon. No one could make a basket and plenty of misses were near the rim.
-- Where were the students? I hoped that students might use the snow and double header as an excuse to come to the game. It seemed like they used the unique time and weather to stay away. The team won't be better until most of current students are gone, so I understand people not caring. However, they missed a fun, free game.

What are your thoughts? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section.

Good looking uniforms, ugly basketball

Once again BC wasted decent stretches of basketball with poor efforts, lack of hustle and dumb mistakes. Even when facing an unmotivated Syracuse, BC lacks enough talent to win when playing poorly. After playing decently in the first half, the team faded in the second half. The throwback uniforms were a nice touch, though they seem wasted on the crowd and opponent. Embarrassingly you could see free t-shirts draped over seats in Conte that went unclaimed. I keep telling myself that winning will solve many of these issues. It will, won't it?

-- Turnovers against the 2-3. I understand how 'Cuses D forces long, bad shots and controls the board, but how were we so bad passing? Clifford and Heckmann both had some head scratchers.
-- Clifford's offense. Ellis said that Clifford lacked confidence on his mid-range shots. I don't know if it is that simple. He used to be a good shooter. Those shots from the high post should be gimmes.
-- Good movement on defense. In looking for a silver lining, I did want to note that the defensive execution is improving. We still get overpowered, but there are fewer mental errors or guys missing assignments.

Tar Heels too big for BC

The first 20 minutes gave me hope. BC capitalized on UNC's mistakes and handled their runs. For a moment it felt like this might be the game. Yet the Tar Heels controlled early in the second half. BC made another charge late but it was not enough. The announcers gave BC plenty of credit for doing a lot with a little, but that doesn't make this any less frustrating. A few other thoughts:

-- We miss Magarity. He sat out again with a concussion and it made a difference. Magarity is not a great defensive player, but we could have used his size and his ability to draw out big men.
-- Awful outside shooting. We need Hanlon and Brown to chuck it. It is our only offense. But we are not going to win many games going 5 for 23 from 3.
-- No bench. With Magarity out of the rotation, it hurts our depth, but only getting four points from the bench is terrible. Owens and Odio have to have more impact on the game. They are both athletic enough to be better around the rim.

Another frustrating loss for Hoops

How do you judge an ugly loss? BC basketball has produced so many over the past few years, we've had plenty from which to choose. Wednesday's loss to Notre Dame wasn't extraordinary. It was just frustrating. BC did enough things to make it close, but did all its good at the wrong times so that the game was lopsided throughout. Even late as they made a run they couldn't get out of their own way. Hanlan was on fire, having made four straight 3s, yet his teammates ignored him on two straight possessions late. How does this happen? Here are a few other thoughts:

-- Hanlan needs to take over early. I used to blame Hanlan's slow first halfs on Steve Donahue's offense. Not anymore. It is clear that Hanlan doesn't always assert himself early. Whether he is trying to be a distributor or is just lacking the killer instinct, it is hurting BC. He needs to drive from the first possession and just maybe BC won't constantly be playing catchup.
-- Missing at close range. The number of layups and putbacks this team misses is crazy. Since we cannot finish, maybe these guys should think about restarting the offense on occasion.
--Turnovers from the bigs. Magarity is our best passing big man so his absence was felt. In his place Clifford and Heckmann both made plenty of bad and stupid passes.

A week ago, I thought BC turned a corner. Its been terrible basketball since. If they are going to salvage this season, it better start soon.

Looking rough in Littlejohn

I rarely attend BC games in person, so much of what I glean is based off of TV feeds and what I read or hear. What's nice about the occasional in-person basketball game is seeing how the team interacts with the staff. Saturday's loss to Clemson was ugly but it did help build a little more faith in Jim Christian. Despite the continued losing, the team has not checked out. As much as it was frustrating to watch the offense settle for bad 3-point attempts, Christian was imploring them to drive. The staff is also very active during the game -- at least compared to some past BC basketball huddles. Here are a few other thoughts:

-- No touch, no strength. BC was off all over the floor, but it was uncomfortable to watch them miss so many shots close to the basket. The bigs couldn't do it. The guards missed plenty too. I would blame Clemson's D, but too often it was just our guys missing. We desperately need a guy who can just go up and either slam it home or draw a foul.
-- I think I overrated Hanlan. Changing offenses certainly hurt his numbers this year as does playing more point. But maybe Hanlan is just very good but not great. He was fine Saturday, but BC needed him to step up early. He didn't. They also needed him to drive more. It didn't happen -- in part to how Clemson was defending him.
-- The team misses Clifford. He still not 100% and that left Carney playing long minutes. We could have used him on the boards and if he had been healthy, he might have finished some of those shots in the paint.

Is loss to Louisville a "Tipping Point loss"?

We all know about "Moral Victories." BC's loss to Louisville could fall into that category, but I am wondering if we haven't come across something different. Undermanned again yet still showing plenty of fight, I am wondering if we are at the fork in the road. After a series of close losses to some of the better teams in the conference, does BC start to pull through more games soon? Or do they stop fighting and start mailing it in? I believe we are close to a break through and that maybe this is our tipping point. Here are a few other thoughts:

-- Christian's Defensive adjustments. It is too early to consider him some sort of defensive guru but I thought Christian did a good job with the defensive calls. We used zone well and rebounded well considering Clifford's limited minutes.
-- Needing more from Hanlan. If BC is going to break through, we need Hanlan to play better. His shots weren't falling, but that wasn't the problem. His defensive concentration down the stretch stunk.
-- Heckmann coming into his own? Here was another game where he played well without making any glaring mistakes. I don't know if he's more focused on not trying to do too much, but he made some smart plays.

Christian gets first ACC win

Something had to give. BC finally had a close game go their way. BC finally stopped a late collapse. Most importantly, BC finally won an ACC game. This was Christian's first in the conference and it was well deserved. Despite the problems down the stretch and missing Clifford, I felt Christian managed the game well and made enough adjustments for BC to close out the game. Here are some other thoughts:

-- Defense keeps getting better. Georgia Tech is a terrible offense and a bad team, but BC still looked better on D. They switched well. They helped well. Magarity shot out on pick and rolls and still recovered. It gives me hope once we get more talent.

-- Hanlan's shooting. He improved from the line and made some killer 3s. Let's hope his slump is over.

-- Playing through bad spots. BC couldn't make a basket early and allowed a 7-0 run late in the second half, yet held on. Holding on and fighting through those moments are critical as Christian tries to build a program and change the attitude.

Confusion in loss to 'Cuse

The worst thing that could happen to BC was making some early 3s against Syracuse. When they stopped falling the offense became stagnant for the rest of the first half. Christian adjusted in the second half and they made it interesting late, but it wasn't enough to beat Syracuse. The Orange won 69-61. There was a lot of moments or trends of note. Here are a few:

-- Batten was all over the place. Overall he played well. He's aggressive and high energy -- which we need. But he also made some mistakes from being a little too reckless.
-- The bench let BC down. Odio made plenty of mistakes. Magarity couldn't provide much defensive help. Dragicevich finally got on the court -- presumably to make some 3s -- and didn't even attempt a shot.
-- This team still seems to lack chemistry. It was only one moment -- but as BC is making its comeback, Brown drove to the basket to potentially cut the lead to 5. He also could have passed to Hanlan. He took the shot himself and missed and Hanlan didn't even attempt a rebound. I don't know if it was one bad moment between two key players or a glimpse into a bigger problem. Either way it was a horrible possession late in a game. Neither guy looked good. Both looked selfish. These sorts of chemistry issues are why I am giving Christian a lot of leeway this season.

It wasn't a great game, but it wasn't terrible. Even though we keep losing, I am actually growing to appreciate some of Christian's adjustments. We are playing better basketball. We just don't have the right pieces right now.

Looking better while losing

The Duke loss disappointed. The Pitt loss was frustrating. This loss felt encouraging. Despite UVA pulling away in the second half, I thought the team played well for long stretches. There were also glimmers of the team gelling and maturing. Virginia is a great team. They're well coached and consistent. Winning was a long shot, yet there were times when it seemed possible. Let's hope we are turning a corner. Other thoughts:

-- BC played solid D for most of the game. We are not Virginia but it is getting better. I also liked the Christian used different looks. Some 2-3 zone. A lot of man with switching. Even a 2-2-1 press. The only real problem comes when Clifford gets sucked away from the basket. We got beat on a few pick and rolls and a few backdoors.
-- The Perpiglia minutes have to end. This has been a theme on the BC message boards for a while. I've avowed it as to not pick on the kid. However, it is killing us. The team was -4 when he was on the court and it added fuel to Virginia's run. BC never got it close after Hanlan returned. There has got to be a better rotation that still gives Hanlan time to rest.
-- Heckmann played well. I kill him when he looks terrible, so I need to credit him when things go well. He cooled off, but for one stretch, he was red hot. Even his D was better.

BC missed too many close shots to win, but it was a good effort. We will pull off a win against one of the top ACC teams soon.

Hallelujah!

Our long national nightmare is over. Well maybe that is a little much. Our long losing streak to Harvard is finally over. BC nearly blew it again, but forced OT and then pulled away in the extra five minutes. It wasn't a fun game or clean game, but there were some positives. Here are a few other thoughts:

-- Improvement in atmosphere. Based on the ESPN3 feed it felt like the Conte crowd was into the game. Some of it was surely Harvard fans, but having the students back in campus also helped. Conte is not going to become Cameroon Indoor any time soon, but I think support and noise will energize the team and create some momentum.

-- Terrible Free Throws again. This wouldn't have gone to OT or even been close if BC improved its foul shooting. There are ways to improve it (see UConn under Ollie). Let's hope Christian tries something new.

-- Better Defense from Clifford. Earlier in the year he was coming to far out on pick and rolls and had trouble recovering. Now he's moving much better (although he was slow in OT). This will help our overall D.

Things don't get easier with UVA on the way, but at least we can now focus on ACC teams instead of Ivies. 

Cannot top 'Canes

Basketball lost another tough game. A loss is a loss, but this one was more encouraging than the collapse against Pitt. BC couldn't make a shot for long stretches and had real trouble on interior D, but still managed a comeback to tie the game late. Even in the final seconds, Christian set up a good play to get Hanlan a clean look. He missed, but he'll make some of those soon. Here are some other thoughts:

-- Odio came to play. Maybe it was being back home or maybe he's finally healthy, but Odio had a good game. He made three critical 3s. His help D was ok, but he still has trouble with guys away from the basket. He was certainly an improvement over Heckmann.

-- Missing FTs cost BC the game. Hanlan and Clifford both missed crucial tries late. That's mental. Hopefully more of those will fall in soon.

-- The Defensive schemes are solid. BC had real trouble with Jekiri's strength and size, but overall the defense was good. There weren't as many open looks for Miami and we are still not athletic, but they are getting better on D. That is another long-term sign that things are headed in the right direction. 

Next up is Harvard. It's not an ACC game, but it is very important as a program building game.