BC-VTech Recap
By Sam Parsons
Senior Day festivities at Conte Forum, signifying the end of men’s basketball play in the building for the season, couldn’t stop the Virginia Tech Hokies from taking the game from the Boston College Eagles Saturday night, as the Eagles dropped their twelfth straight game, 91-75.
The Hokies started the game hot, outscoring the Eagles 14-2 early on and moving the ball gorgeously. That’s been their calling card all year: Virginia Tech came into the game with five different guys averaging double-digit points per game. The Eagles, by comparison, had only two such players. However, following this opening barrage, the Eagles mounted a furious run, getting within one point of Virginia Tech about six minutes in.
For a long period of time after that – about twenty minutes of game action, extending into the second half – we had ourselves a tight-knit, back-and-forth game, with neither team leading by more than 5 points at any given time.
The Eagles headed into halftime with a 40-38 advantage over the Hokies in what couldn’t have been categorized as anything other than a successful half of basketball. They were shooting 56% from the field (6 of 12 from 3-point range), compared to a 59% clip for Virginia Tech (5 of 10 from 3-point range). The Eagles were moving the ball well and cashing in on their opportunities, and senior Garland Owens, seeing his most action of the year, was making energetic plays. Jerome Robinson notched 13 first-half points that included sinking all 3 of his 3-point shot attempts.
The game was knotted up at 50 points apiece with 13:30 left in the second half, but things quickly fell apart for the Eagles from there. The rest of the way, the Hokies outscored the Eagles 41-25 in what was an aggressive shooting display that certainly paid off. The Eagles, on the other hand, just couldn’t seem to connect on the shots they were making in the first half, and a defensive shift by coach Buzz Williams could certainly have played a big role in that. The Hokies spent much of the first half switching between 2-3 and 3-2 zones, but the better part of the second half was spent in man-to-man coverage (the Eagles spent most of the game in the same defensive scheme). Robinson and co. weren’t getting the clean looks they were getting early, and their second half shooting performance declined to 47%, including a noticeable 4-14 (27%) from 3-point range. The Hokies, adjusting to Boston College’s man defense, gelled to the tune of 18-24 from the field (75%), including a sky-high 87.5% from 3-point range. Predictably, no one player stood out for the Hokies, as they had 6 players finish within 12 and 18 points scored.
Tonight’s game reiterated a common theme for the Eagles during their long skid: finishing games. Many games for Boston College have followed the same formula: a competitive and encouraging first half, followed by the wheels coming off in the second. It’s frustrating simply because the Eagles so often flash the ability to execute on a high level, only to neglect to do so late in games.
Still, even though tonight marked the end of play at Conte Forum for the season, fans absolutely should not be chalking this up as a lost season. This Boston College men’s basketball team has talent. Enough to even compete in the ACC in the future. Unless they figure out how to harness it for a full 40 minutes of action, though, that likely won’t come to fruition.
The Eagles (9-19, 2-14 conf.) travel to #21 Notre Dame on March 1 for their next game, and finish their season at Clemson on March 4.
The Hokies (20-8, 9-7 conf.) host the Miami Hurricanes next, on February 27.