BC Tries For Third Straight At NC State

No one really saw this coming, and tonight the magic can continue. After two straight home wins against Clemson and Virginia Tech, the Boston College men's basketball team heads down to Raleigh to face the North Carolina State Wolfpack. A win would give this young group its first road conference win and a 3-1 record in the ACC, trailing only Duke. The Eagles face a NC State team also holding a 2-1 conference record coming off a blowout win against Wake Forest. Head coach Steve Donahue spoke about the importance of the team notching its first conference road win of the season after falling short against North Carolina in Chapel Hill to open ACC play.

In the wins over Clemson and Virginia Tech, the Eagles held significant leads heading into the game's final minutes that were eventually cut into, resulting in just two-point wins in each contest. After their struggling start, the Eagles' two ACC wins this early have been impressive, but managing turnovers and holding onto the lead late in the game on the road will be key for tonight's matchup.

Also important for the Eagles tonight will be the play of Dennis Clifford. Donahue said that the Wolfpack's biggest strength is its size, and NC State doesn't start a single player under 6-foot-5. This could cause problems for smaller BC guards like Jordan Daniels, Gabe Moton, and Lonnie Jackson. On the other hand, it doesn't look like the Wolfpack have a definite answer for Clifford, who was just named ACC Freshman of the Week. NC State's Richard Howell will start off against Clifford tonight and the BC 7-footer has four inches on Howell, so his hot shooting from the field should continue. Clifford had no trouble getting his shot off in the post, and he fired with great accuracy against Clemson and Virginia Tech. The Eagle offense should begin with Clifford and forward Ryan Anderson inside and open up plays for the guards on the perimeter.

Since NC State began conference play, it has only been playing seven men consistently with just one front court player coming off the bench in their 6-foot-9 center DeShawn Painter. If BC can get the ball in the post and force the Wolfpack bigs into early foul trouble, then it could really open this game up.

Guards Jackson and Matt Humphrey will need to step up and find ways to score against the tough defensive matchups facing them. After some inconsistent early play, Humphrey has been a big part of the Eagles' success lately. Instead of relying on three-point shots, Humphrey is driving the ball, setting his teammates up to score, defending well, and hitting the glass hard for rebounds. His all-around performance has been big for BC, and it will need to continue tonight on the road.

Jackson struggled to find a good rhythm against the Hokies on Saturday, but between his ability to hit threes and attack the lane, he is one of the most dynamic scorers BC has. With Patrick Heckmann still trying to play through aggravated injuries and John Cahill out for a few feeks, Jackson will need to continue to be a big part of the BC offense.

Donahue said that Eddie Odio, Moton, and Danny Rubin could see more time because of injuries to Heckmann and Cahill, and their play off the bench could be the difference in the game. Donahue has relied on a good rotation of players with multiple substitutions in the past two wins. Rubin hasn't seen much playing time this season, and Odio has been used as more of a role player. Moton shared the point guard duties with Daniels against Clemson and Virginia Tech, but he's struggled to get the offense going the same way Daniels does. If Moton can provide an easy transition to Donahue's motion system when Daniels leaves the floor, then BC should be able to cut down the turnovers that are still plaguing them late into the season.

Although the offense has started clicking and shots are falling at high percentages lately, turnovers have still held the Eagles back. Their 19 turnovers against Clemson almost cost them the game and 15 against Virginia Tech also hurt. Sometimes good shots are passed up, sometimes players are trying to do too much, and other times it just looks like young, inexperienced mistakes. Now that shots are falling, rebounding has been cleaned up, and communication is stronger on the defensive end, all the Eagles need to do is clean up the turnovers to be a force in the ACC. In a tough environment on the road tonight, it's going to take a complete team effort to stretch their win streak even further and keep the magic going before they return home this Saturday.