It was just over a week ago that Corey Raji stumbled off the floor and into the locker room with an apparent concussion. The injury to Raji left the already depleted Eagles front court even more so, and also took away one of their leaders on the court. Sunday afternoon at the Comcast Center, Raji left little doubt as to his value to this team. Trailing by 2 in the waning moments of the game, Raji ripped off 5 straight points including a tie-breaking 3 to help propel his team to its first ACC win of the season. The Eagles utilized the 3 ball to great effect, as they constantly quelled attempts by Maryland and their bruising center Jordan Williams to pull away.
Corey Raji will (rightfully) get a great deal of credit for his big baskets down the stretch, but a lot of credit goes out to Biko Paris who hit 6/10 from beyond the arc, almost all of them at crucial points in the game, to help lead the team. He finished with a career high 22 points. Reggie Jackson was solid if unspectacular with 16 points. The win marks the 5th consecutive year that Boston College has won its opening game in the ACC.
What To Like:
3 Point Shooting
The Eagles drilled 13/29 from beyond the arc. More importantly, very few of them seemed rushed. Three pointers can often be a misleading statistic because it can indicate that the team is not attempting to get the ball inside or it is not moving the ball at all. But in this case, the number of attempts belies the number of open shots they were able to get. Maryland's half court trap was effective at times, but when broken, it often resulted in easy looks from the perimeter. This BC team has shown itself more than capable of converting when left alone.
Poise
There were multiple opportunities for Boston College to exit stage left during this game, particularly in the 2nd half. The team refused to quit, even as Maryland appeared to be asserting itself defensively. The ability to run their offense, be patient and find the right shot even when trailing is a trait that will serve them well during the ACC season. There was no panic on the court or on the sidelines and it allowed the Eagles to finish the game strong without having to play wildly out of control. There will be more games like this for the Eagles and to see them show composure in their first true road game is very encouraging.
What Not To Like:
Interior Defense
Throughout the game the Eagles struggled to slow down Maryland's double-double machine Jordan Williams. Williams finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds, a number of which came on the offensive glass. Williams is very similar to former Boston College star Craig Smith in his ability to position himself for rebounds without relinquishing it until he finishes the play. Josh Southern struggled to contain him and was frequently out of position for rebounds and was consistently beaten when Jordan faced up to the basket against him. Front court teammate Dino Gregory also chipped in with 14 points. To be successful this season, the Eagles will have to find a way to at least limit players like this as they will not survive long giving up huge games from players close to the basket.
Turnovers
It's a problem that hasn't shown itself much this season for the Eagles, but when it has appeared, it's been a killer. Going back to the UMass game last weekend, the Eagles have turned the ball over 48 times in their previous 3 games (16 per game). That is an unacceptable number considering that prior to that, Steve Donahue's club was averaging just over 9 turnovers a game. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. The team struggled at times to break the press of Maryland which resulted in a number of odd man transitions that helped Maryland put points on the board with players not named Williams. After struggling with the press the last 3 games, you'd better believe others will attack with it as well.
What's Next:
The Eagles return to their non conference schedule after a well deserved week off for finals. This upcoming Sunday they'll take on the Bryant Bulldogs back at Conte Forum. The Bulldogs are easily the worst opponent on the slate this year, sporting a 1-8 record, 6 of those losses coming by double digits. After that, the Eagles will complete their non conference schedule with games against Bucknell, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Harvard before resuming ACC play after the new year.
