Creature Vs. Creature: Boston College Looks to Take Down The Tar Heels

(Note: Nathan B wrote the other part of this Creature vs. Creature matchup; please read here  for the North Carolina point of view).

Boston College certainly didn’t like how 2008 ended as their football team saw the demise of their eight-game bowl win streak at the hands of Vanderbilt.

Well Eagles fans, 2009 isn’t about to start any better as the B.C. men’s basketball team kicks off the ACC season Sunday with a trip to play…gulp…the North Carolina Tar Heels.

In case you’ve been hibernating for the past nine months, Christmas came early for Roy Williams when Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green all removed their names from the NBA Draft for a chance to return to Chapel Hill for another Final Four run.

Throw in the fact that Tyler Hansbrough didn’t even enter the draft and Williams probably begins each day by pinching himself.

To put it simply, the Tar Heels are loaded at every position.

In Hansbrough and Lawson, they have arguably the best big man and point guard in the nation.

Add Ellington, Green, Deon Thompson, Bobby Frasor, and Marcus Ginyard (the latter two returning from injury) to the mix and you can see why most media outlets have crowned them as the heavy to cut down the nets in March.

As if the Heels weren’t talented enough, their crop of freshmen (Ed Davis, Larry Drew II, Tyler Zeller and Justin Watts) were ranked as one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. Zeller is out for the year with a hand injury but does that really make a difference?

And when you have five players (Hansbrough, Lawson, Thompson, Ellington, and Green) that average a total of 78 points per game, life is good.

Boston College on the other hand is almost the exact opposite of the Heels.

The Eagles were picked to finish 11th (ahead of only Virginia) in the ACC preseason media poll.

Any talk of B.C.’s success starts and ends with their senior guard, and first team All-ACC, Tyrese Rice.

Rice has been his typical productive self so far averaging 17 points, six assists, and four rebounds while shooting 83 percent from the free throw line and making 39 percent of his three point shots. All in a day’s work for the Hampton, VA native.

Outside of Rice and junior Tyler Roche, the rest of the Eagles are young.

B.C. has 10 players that are either freshmen or sophomores.

Four of the sophomores (Corey Raji, Rakim Sanders, Josh Southern, and Biko Paris) all cut their teeth on big time college hoops last year as B.C. struggled through a 14-17 (4-12 in the ACC) season.

Sophomore Joe Trapani, a transfer from Vermont, has fit right in with this group and is arguably the Eagles’ second best player behind Rice.

None of the B.C. players have the high school pedigree that almost every Tar Heel does. Instead, they reflect the personality of their coach, Al Skinner.

They scrap and hustle to do the little things (such as gang rebounding) necessary to win.

With a veteran star like Rice to lead them, they should have a shot in most of their games.

Whether they stand a chance against the vaunted Heels, well, that’s why they play the games.

So for the Eagles to emerge from the Dean Dome victorious, let’s break down what they can and can’t do to make it happen.

Boston College will win if they…

Survive the first four minutes. The Heels will look to jump on B.C. from the opening tip and build a large lead early. If this occurs, the young Eagles could get rattled. Once that happens, Carolina will certainly go for the jugular.

But if B.C. maintains their composure and starts to run their offense effectively, they’ll be able to settle into the game and let UNC know they’re here for the full 40.

Take care of the basketball. UNC is a team that thrives on pressuring their opponents, forcing careless turnovers, and cashing those into points. Lots of points. Giving a team like Carolina extra possessions is a recipe for disaster. And a veteran team like the Tar Heels prosper on their opponents’ mistakes.

Get back on defense. Yes, this is a staple for basic success of any basketball team but especially against the Tar Heels. When he was at Kansas and now at Chapel Hill, Roy Williams preaches the secondary fast break. UNC will look to run even after B.C. scores the ball so getting back on D is imperative for success.

Compete on the back boards.To expect the Eagles to stop or even contain Tyler Hansbrough isn’t very realistic. The reigning National Player of the Year is just too good not to get his points. But B.C. must hold their own on the offensive and defensive glass. The more rebounds they get on both ends of the floor is another way to limit the number of possessions for the Heels. The less Carolina has the ball, the fewer opportunities they have to score.

Tyrese Rice plays like a first team All-ACC member. It’s a safe bet that at some point during preparation for this game, Roy Williams reminded his team that in last year’s contest at B.C., Rice torched UNC to the tune of 46 points including eight of 12 from beyond the three-point arc. To expect another career night from Rice isn’t very likely, but the Eagles, in order to pull the upset, will need anywhere from 25 to 30 points from their senior leader.

More importantly, in addition to lighting up the score board like a pinball machine, Rice must get his teammates involved. That means assists. Many assists. If Rice can tally a double-double for the day, then his teammates will be converting easy buckets. If that’s the case, then the Eagles will maintain the balanced scoring they’ve had all season long and not have to rely solely on Rice.

Boston College will be in for a long day if…

North Carolina takes this game seriously. Expectations and talent levels differ greatly for these two teams. UNC is the overwhelming favorite to win the National Championship. The Eagles are looking to gain valuable experience for their slew of youngsters in an effort to return to the NCAA tournament. If UNC thinks that all they have to do is punch the time clock to get a win, then B.C. could sneak up on them. If they don’t show up and B.C. hangs around for the entire game, then things could get interesting in crunch time. Especially when the Eagles possess a clutch player like Rice who has the ability to take over during winning time.

Tyler Hansbrough dominates.Would anyone really be surprised to check the box score after this game and see that Psycho-T dropped 30 points and hauled in 15 rebounds? Hansbrough is the rare breed that is consumed with controlling the paint and he must be licking his chops at the mere mention of B.C.’s front line.

Carolina dictates the pace. Plain and simple, UNC will want to turn this game into a track meet. They have too many weapons and too much depth at each position for B.C. to try and outscore them. The higher the score gets in this one, the better the chances that the Heels walk away with the win.

The Tar Heels make their 3-pointers. Both Ty Lawson and Danny Green have been unconscious from behind the arc as they’re making 47 and 48 percent of their three pointers. Having one player make over 40 percent is great. Having two players hitting close to 50 percent? Count your blessings.

Wayne Ellington also knocks threes down at 36 percent and in limited attempts (13), Larry Drew II checks in at 39 percent. Scoring isn’t a problem for UNC. But if they are bombs away from three, that almost isn’t fair.

Ty Lawson wins the battle of high profile guards. The most intriguing battle within the battle is Lawson vs. Rice. If Lawson simply has his typical game of running the break, setting up teammates, causing havoc, and scoring, then UNC wins because of the talent disparity between the two teams. B.C. must focus on taking Lawson out of his rhythm in order to disrupt the flow to UNC’s offense.

Prediction

North Carolina is simply too talented to lose this game. Too many things need to go right for Boston College to have a legitimate chance of pulling the upset. At the same time, B.C. is too young, too inexperienced, and lacks the fire power to beat the Heels on the road.

Tar Heels 91 Eagles 65.