Tobacco Road Report

By David

Jared Dudley logged 39 minutes and registered a double-double (30 points, 10 rebounds) as Boston College edged out Michigan State 65-58 in a game which could be best described as workmanlike (really a polite way of saying ugly at times). BC shot under 40 percent from the field (ugly), committed 13 turnovers (ugly), and shot 4 for 16 from behind the three point line (yikes). Given that line I am surprised they won this game, but then you realize that State was not much better on any category and on a few were worse: 16 turnovers, 2 of 15 from three point land. Ugly, ugly, ugly, and…well, ugly.

Both teams came in searching for answers about the direction of their programs given losses of talent and leadership from last year's teams. I cannot imagine either coach feels they found an answer. The BC win (do not get me wrong: a win is a win) says more about the down state of the Big Ten conference this year than the quality of play for Boston College at this stage.

Neither team clicked on offense in the early part of the game though a major part of that was due to the defensive intensity and quick hands present for both sides. BC pressed the Spartans often, whish is surprising for a team that is not very deep (only seven Eagles logged minutes in the game).

The press did its job though, getting the ball out of the hands of Michigan State guard Drew Neitzel. Neitzel has held scoreless in the first half and finished with 12 points on the night. On many possessions he never touched the ball again and the Spartans settled for outside or ill advised shots. BC threw the press, match-up zones and man-to-man defenses at State to disrupt their timing and it clearly worked with the Spartans having more turnovers than field goals for most of the game.

BC's flex offense looked less polished than in seasons past but served them well enough, along with a solid defensive effort that created transition opportunities, to get to an 8 point lead by halftime and a 16 point lead in the second half. The second half started at a faster pace but BC again got into an offensive rhythm.

It seems pretty clear that if BC is going to have any success this season Sean Williams (10 points, 2 rebounds, 4 blocks) needs to be on the floor. This might be a big if given his history of team rules violations and a lack of other big men on the team. His defense (6’10” and jumps out of the gym) and the threat of offense from him (a jump hook that is still a work in progress) are vital if BC is going to be competitive with any of the top teams in the ACC this season.

I am still left with more questions than answers about BC after this win. Many buckets came in transition so it is not clear that they can generate offense consistently out of their half court set. I'll be honest, I had my thesaurus ready so I did not repeat words like inconsistent, flat, and underperforming too much. But the Eagles played better, got the win, and are above .500. This win is a good step to reversing the early season losses to Vermont and Providence.