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The Boston College women's basketball team heads to Greensborough, N.C., today, for the 30th annual ACC Women's Basketball Tournament. The Eagles are seeded No. 10, after a tough season (13-15, 3-11 ACC). The first four seeds, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, and Maryland respectively, all earned first round byes.
The Eagles first round entails a 6 p.m. bout with the seventh-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies.
The Eagles hope to regroup and finish the season strong after a recent history of home game trials against fellow ACC members Maryland and Virginia Tech. Last Sunday, the Eagles lost their Senior Day season finale to a powerhouse Maryland team.
Despite a standout performance by senior Kathrin Ress, putting up 26 points and collecting six rebounds, the Eagles still lost, 76-60.
In the Eagles' last meeting with Virginia Tech, on Feb. 23, the Eagles fell, 67-52. Virginia Tech's balanced scoring attack and good play from the bench overwhelmed a lackluster BC.
The Hokies had four players in double figures, including Amber Hall with 12 points, Brittany Cook with 11, and Kirby Copeland and Nare Diawara with 10 points each.
BC was overwhelmed by the Hokies defense: The Eagles were outscored by 15 points, posting an overall poor 32.8 field goal percentage which coach Cathy Inglese attributed to rushed shots.
The Eagles hope to correct this problem, focusing on a slower and more balanced attack, forcing the Hokies to play defense, in their upcoming game.
Even Ress, BC's lead scorer, averaging 16.2 points and 8.5 rebounds a game, was held to only nine points. Ress, a senior and third team All-ACC honoree, was frustrated by a bigger Hokies front line, including 6-6 Diawara and 6-4 Eleanor Brentall.
Virginia Tech is led by seniors Copeland, Diawara, and Britney Anderson. Copeland, a senior guard who was selected as an honorable mention to the All-ACC Team, averages 15.3 points per game. Anderson, a 6-0 forward, averages 10.4 points a game and Diawara, the Hokie's 6-6 center averages 12.1 points and 8.1 rebounds a game.
Despite failure in their last meeting, the Eagles match up closely with the Hokies' season statistics. BC posts an average 60.3 offensive points to Tech's 66.0. The Hokies have a similar edge in field goal percentage at .436 to the Eagles .419.
The Hokies, however, also allow an average of 64.4 points a game compared to BC's 60.3. If BC can settle into a slow and balanced offensive attack, focusing on shot selection, they might manage to grind out this beatable Hokies team. This will require big games out of Ress and fellow seniors Kindyll Dorsey and Sarah Marshall.
Even if the Eagles manage to overcome their first round opponents, No. 2 seed and fourth ranked in the AP Poll North Carolina would await them. The Tar Heels rounded out week 17 of the season with an impressive 27-3 record, two losses at the hands of the AP's No. 1 Duke and one against NC State. North Carolina is led by a pair of All-ACC first-team selections Ivory Latta and Erlana Larkins, as well as Camille Little, second-team All-ACC and the ACC All-Defensive Team.
Other ACC tournament favorites include Duke and Maryland. Maryland finished the regular season No. 6 in the AP Poll and the Terrapins are the currently defending last year's national championship season. Duke finished its season 29-0, marking the first undefeated season in women's ACC basketball history. Duke is lead by seniors Alison Bales and Lindsey Harding, both All-ACC first team selections. Whether or not the Eagles take home an ACC Tournament title this weekend, they can take pride in finishing a season of contending with some of the biggest powers in women's basketball.
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