Boston College Eagles
Atlantic Coast Conference (20-11, 10-6)
Seed: #7
East Region
RPI: 32
Big Wins:
11/29 Michigan State (65-58), 12/10 Maryland (73-62), 2/3 Virginia Tech
(80-59)
Bad Losses:
11/13 Vermont (63-77), 11/22 at Providence (64-73), 12/28 Duquesne
(93-98)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2006, Sweet Sixteen loss to Villanova
Coach:
Al Skinner (6-7 in 7 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Tyrese Rice,
Sophomore, Guard, 17.2 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3.3 rpg
Sean Marshall,
Senior, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Jared Dudley,
Senior, Forward, 19.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.0 apg
Shamari Spears,
Freshman, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg
John Oates,
Junior, Forward, 4.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Marquez Haynes,
Sophomore, Guard, 3.9 ppg, 1.7 apg
Tyrelle Blair,
Junior, Center, 2.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 bpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
Forward Jared
Dudley is a star and guards Tyrese Rice and Sean Marshall have had solid
seasons. Dudley leads the team in points and rebounds and will have to carry
the squad on his shoulders if the Eagles want to have any success in March.
Rice has had a pleasantly surprising sophomore campaign and ranks among the
leaders in the ACC with 5.5 assists per game.
Boston College
shoots a healthy 47.9% from the floor. That high number is mostly due to the
fact that the Eagles do not have a stellar long range shooter and know their
limitations from beyond the arc. Despite the lack of quick scoring via the
long ball, BC is very efficient on the offensive end of the floor and
average 74.6 points per contest.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
Center Sean
Williams was kicked off the team in January and that has left a lot of
pressure on big men John Oates, Shamari Spears and Tyrelle Blair. Oates is a
solid contributor who will do the dirty work, but cannot replace Williams in
the scoring, rebounding or shot blocking departments. Spears, a freshman,
can handle the scoring and rebounding and Blair, a transfer from Loyola
(Chicago), is a presence under the basket on the defensive end, but the duo
still does not compare to what Boston College lost in Williams. The lack of
depth all over the court will catch up to Coach Al Skinner sooner or later.
Who To
Watch:
It’s all about
Dudley. The 6-7 San Diego, CA native can shoot from long range, get to the
basket, dish to his teammates and battle on the glass. He ranks in the top
50 nationally in points, field-goal percentage and rebounds. Dudley does it
all, but more often than not, times will arise when his teammates need to
shoulder at least part of the load.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: First Round loss to Texas Tech
