An Important Early Win For the Eagles
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Boston College is starting to look more like the team many projected them to be.
Wednesday night was sure to be a better barometer of this team, as they blew out a young Rhode Island team on Saturday that has had trouble taking care of the ball and is without a couple of players who figured to play good minutes. Michigan State came to town as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and was sure to give them a good test. Although the Spartans are young and have no seniors, they entered the game at 6-1 and with a personnel mix much like that of the teams that Tom Izzo has won big with over the years – a big, physical front line, defensive-minded and owning the glass.
But save for a few lapses in the final minutes, it was the Eagles who had the physical edge in their 65-58 win, matching the Spartans’ play and being enforcers inside. They also clamped down on the Spartans’ perimeter scorers, holding Drew Neitzel without a point in the first half and not allowing a three-pointer in that frame to a team that came into the game shooting 44.6 percent from long range. For the game, the Spartans were 2-15 from behind the arc.
“I think going into the game, if they understood nothing else, they understood how hard they were going to have to play defensively if they were going to have a chance to be successful,” B.C. head coach Al Skinner said.
In the second half, Boston College turned it up a notch, as Sean Williams blocked shots (five for the game, although it seemed like more since he was called for goaltending multiple times) and Jared Dudley was seemingly unstoppable at the offensive end and played his usual brand of heady basketball. Whether it was a post basket, rebound in traffic, key three-pointer or knocking the ball away from the Spartan with it, Dudley was right in the middle of the action.
“Unfortunately, I almost enjoyed watching them play if it wasn’t in the wrong column for us,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said.
You could see the edge Boston College had later in the game. As it wore on, they got every loose ball and Williams continued to make some highlight-reel blocks, while also getting called for at least one foul that appeared to be a clean block. They broke the game open with a big sequence that included a blocked shot, a three-pointer by Dudley (who finished with 30 and made all three of his attempts from behind the arc) and a steal and layup by Tyrese Rice. Although they shot below 40 percent for the game and had as many turnovers as they did assists, the shots they did make were generally good ones.
“I think the most important thing is that we played at a pace that was comfortable for us, our execution was what we needed it to be,” Skinner said. “Because of that, we got some great looks. I just thought our ball-handling has improved over the last couple of games, and because of that, it allowed Jared and everyone to have a really good basketball game.”
The Eagles out-rebounded the Spartans by just one, but it seemed like they had a wider margin. Dudley led the charge with 10, while Shamari Spears had nine, and they led the way as the Eagles turned 17 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points against a team that had not been out-rebounded in their first seven games.
That’s not to say this was a perfect game, as it was far from it. The Eagles still struggled from long range, although that hasn’t been their specialty in quite some time. They also had to hold off the Spartans in the final minutes, and while credit is due to the Spartans for playing until the end, the Eagles had a few miscues in the final minutes that were unforced. Rice was just 3-14 from the field and missed all six three-point attempts, but all of his baskets were at key junctures, either to give them momentum or sustain it, with one coming on an offensive rebound. On the plus side, he handed out five assists with just two turnovers.
Saturday’s win over Rhode Island was a starting point for the Eagles as they try to get on track after they lost two poorly played games. Wednesday’s win is a better sign that they may indeed be turning a corner, a good thing for them considering an improved UMass team is up next for them on Saturday night in Amherst.
