Boston College Set for a Return to the "Big Dance"

If there was any question of Boston College earning a trip to the “Big Dance” this season, the answer came on Tuesday night with a win against Florida State.  The 72-67 victory over the 23rd-ranked Seminoles was the third time this season the Eagles knocked off a ranked opponent.  (The other two were upsets of No. 1 UNC and No. 6 Duke.)  

In any given year wins over both UNC and Duke or 20 wins and a .500 record in the ACC could be enough to convince the selection committee to give BC a birth.  The combination of both plus a quality non conference win over Providence College makes the Eagles a lock for the field of 64. 

BC (20-9, 8-6 in the ACC) can certainly pad the resume in their final two games of the regular season against two of the bottom 3 teams in the ACC.   The Eagles travel to NC State (15-11, 5-8) Wednesday and finish up at home with Georgia Tech (10-16,1-12) on March 7.  The Eagles have already beaten both of these teams this season and could use another victory to ride some momentum into the ACC Tournament.

If you have watched any college basketball during the last four years you are probably familiar with Tyrese Rice.  He put up 46 against  North Carolina last year and when he’s hot his range is anywhere over half court.  A  big time scorer (17.5 ppg this season/ 2,022 career points) with a knack for hitting the big shots when it counts, Rice has proven to be one of the best scoring guards in the country.  

But the big reason for BC’s success as of late may be the play of a pair of sophomores.  Rakim Sanders and Joe Trapani have combined for more than 26 points and 11 rebounds per game.  Sanders, a 6-5, 225  guard, presents match up problems for a lot of teams.  Sanders shoots the deep three but he also backs down smaller guards with a good inside game. 

Tripani, a Vermont transfer, has done nothing but impress Al Skinner since joining the Eagles lineup this season.  At 6-8, Tripani is the teams leading rebounder and second leading scorer.  Tripani can and will shoot also shoot the three without hesitation (45-122, 37% this season). 

Aside from Tripani, the best newcomer of the season is freshman guard Reggie Jackson.  The former state player of the year in Colorado plays 20 minutes a game for the Eagles averaging 7.4 ppg.  At 6'3", he gives BC some added quickness and scoring at the guard position and Jackson has show that he’s an ACC caliber athlete. 

The old cliché of “being able to play with any team in the country” certainly holds true to the Eagles but they can also lose to any team in the country.  A game after knocking off top ranked UNC, Boston College lost at home to Harvard.  The good news for BC is that they have seen the better half of the Jeckle and Hyde as of late.  With 7 wins in their last 10 games Boston College seems to be playing their best basketball of the season at the right time.

Head Coach Al Skinner is heading for his sixth NCAA appearance in the last nine seasons.  A few factors could help the Eagles make a March run into the second or third round of the tournament.  BC has played and beaten the best in the country already so they won’t be intimidated.  Skinner’s flex offense often grinds opponents down and frustrates them.  The ACC is familiar with this style this, but it still works.   Chances are BC will be facing a team not so familiar with their game plan. 

This, along with a veteran leader like Rice and a few ACC stars on the rise, has the Eagles looking good as they soar into the post season.