CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Al Skinner is normally soft-spoken and comes off as being quite mellow. But even by his standards, the Boston College mentor seemed very subdued and at a loss for words following his team’s latest poor showing on Saturday.
In losing 73-57 to Maryland, the Eagles were never in the game and looked overmatched at times. The margin of victory is very deceptive, as the game never felt that close. The Eagles never got going offensively, and Maryland just picked them apart at the defensive end, which has been a concern for a while. The Eagles fall to 1-3 in the ACC with the loss, but all three have been by double figures and the one win came last month.
“There’s nothing at all that I’m very pleased about,” said Skinner. “Our attitude on the floor is not what it needs to be, particularly on the defensive end. Until that improves, we’re going to remain where we are.”
Skinner has talked about this team’s effort before, and it was clearly the story on Saturday as they never seemed ready to play. While the Terrapins played a terrific game and deserve all the credit, the Eagles certainly helped. They never appeared to be in the game save for a little late momentum near the end of the first half. But even with that, they went into the locker room down by 10 thanks to 34.6 percent shooting from the field and 11 turnovers. Those turnovers led to 14 Maryland points and helped the Terrapins with a 22-4 edge in points in the paint.
The Eagles’ effort has come and gone this season, and it goes a long way to explaining the team’s Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. In the past, Eagle teams have won games on their effort, but this season they have more often lost on the lack of it. This team is experienced but not very talented, and more and more it looks like intangibles are going to be their downfall.
“I’ve had some teams that lacked talent, but didn’t lack a certain toughness,” Skinner said. “This team is playing that way – it’s not that they lack it, because we’ve demonstrated it in different venues at different times. Of late, we have not played the way I’ve had my teams play.”
In the past, the Eagles often had to fight off zone defenses when they didn’t have snipers or when their offense was dominated by inside play with studs like Craig Smith and Jared Dudley. Lately, it seems like being pressed hurts them. It hurt them against Clemson and again on Saturday, but that wasn’t all. Even when they got past the press, the Terrapins had their way with the Eagles.
Despite the 1-3 start in the ACC, the Eagles can still turn it around. With the non-conference losses they have, they’re running out of margin for error as far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned. They’re fast reaching a point where even a 9-7 ACC mark may not be enough, especially if it doesn’t include a couple of wins against the top teams. Still, there’s no clear favorite right now as only surprising Virginia is undefeated in ACC play, which gives them more reason for hope.
“The water’s muddy in the league right now, meaning that there’s no clear-cut favorite,” Skinner noted. “Everybody’s got a tarnish. That’s why I’m feeling as strongly as I feel, because I know there’s still some light at the end of the tunnel and there’s some hope here.”
Added junior Joe Trapani: “I’m not worried. We have 12 ACC games left, and I really think we can do some damage in this league.”
If the Eagles are to do so, they must show a better effort than they have on several occasions this season. Skinner, who is nothing if not consistent in his demeanor, will surely still seem soft-spoken if that happens, but he probably won’t be at a loss for words to explain his team’s play.
