New-Look Duke, Meet New-Look Boston College

ATLANTA—After defeating Virginia in the first round of the ACC tournament, Boston College has the new-look Blue Devils to look forward to on Friday.

Much has been made of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's late season adjustments to his lineup, moving Jon Scheyer to the point and bringing an energetic Elliot Williams into the starting lineup.

Williams has gone from rare contributor to double digit scorer, and praise has been lauded over the hall of fame coach for being able to develop the previously hidden talent sitting on his bench.

As it turns out, Krzyzewski isn't the only coach in the ACC crafting his team into a new-and-improved version of its former self.

Boston College coach Al Skinner is doing the same thing with the Eagles.

But instead of bringing someone off the bench to add a jolt of consistent contribution, Skinner has been able to transform a player that's been on the court the whole season—sophomore Josh Southern.

Southern, though averaging more than 22 minutes a game all season, has been a different player in the last few games than fans, and opponents, are used to.

He's aggressive, assertive, productive, and for the first time, he's vocal.

For the second consecutive game, Southern looked like an elite big man.

"What he did this evening, he hasn't done all season, and that was to demand the ball," said Skinner.  "We've been waiting for a good portion of the year for him to bring that type of attitude."

On the season, Southern has only had a handful of games in which he put up double digit numbers, either scoring or rebounding.

In the last two wins against Georgia Tech and, tonight, Virginia, both crucial games for the Eagles to cement their status as an NCAA tournament team, Southern is averaging close to a double-double with 12.5 points and nine rebounds.

When he plays at that level, it completely changes the look of the Eagles, allowing Tyrese Rice to be free to distribute the ball instead of needing to carry the bulk of the scoring, freeing up shots for Joe Trapani as the defense collapses, and creating new looks for rising star Rakim Sanders.

It's a similar situation to what the Blue Devils have in Elliot Williams, a player who has come alive at the right time in the season to give his team an edge that wasn't there before.

"[Duke's] added Elliot Williams to the lineup, and I think he's really made his team go and they get a lot of energy off of him," said Rice after Thursday's win.

Watching the Eagles play Virginia, Josh Southern is bringing an energy of his own, one that adds a lot to Boston College.

The Duke team that Boston College snapped a 24-year losing skid to in February has gotten better since the rise of Elliot Williams, but Boston College is showing a new look of its own with the surge in Southern's play.

Considering that Duke struggles with teams that feature strong post play, it couldn't be a better time for Boston College's quiet center to start making some noise.