How a team plays when it has nothing to play for is telling.
Boston College men’s basketball came back from a 16-point deficit against No. 11 Clemson on Wednesday, fighting to a two-point game. The Eagles ultimately lost the game 78–69, but the effort was there. As one of the bottom teams in the conference, BC had given one of the best teams in the ACC a run for its money.
BC (12–19, 4–16 Atlantic Coast) was not the same team on Saturday as on Wednesday night, though—not even close.
In their season finale at Pittsburgh (17–14, 8–12), the Eagles were down by 29 by the time halftime rolled around while shooting 28 percent from the field and committing nine turnovers. BC went on to lose 93–67.
“We look like a team that’s been through a lot of close losses, bunch of ups-and-downs, and it all kind of accumulated today,” BC head coach Earl Grant said.
The Eagles’ season did not start as terribly as it ended. They won the Cayman Islands Classic, beating a potential NCAA Tournament–bound team in Boise State.
But as the season went on and the Eagles lost 16 of their 20 conference games—11 by double digits—it became clear that no matter what happened in Saturday’s closing game, BC’s season would go down as a disappointment by most standards. And it did.
Dion Brown led BC with eight points in the first half, and no Eagle scored double digits as they shot 1 of 11 from deep.
Meanwhile, the Panthers scored 15 points off BC turnovers, 10 second-chance points, and seven points on fast breaks. Altogether, BC errors led to 32 of Pitt’s 48 first-half points, while only a third came off Pitt’s set offense.
“I thought for us, we allowed our offense to affect our defense,” Grant said. “We missed some shots early, and we started to force a few—game got away from us pretty quick.”
The Eagles started the second half comparatively strong as they sank six of their first seven attempts. But they continued to stumble defensively, giving up another nearly 50-point half while allowing Pitt to shoot over 40 percent from three and outrebound BC 15–13.
What went wrong on Saturday is hard to pinpoint exactly. It’s not as if the Panthers went into the game as massive favorites—they had a 7–12 conference record. Plus, BC showed on Wednesday its capability to stay in stride with top teams.
Turnovers, a juiceless offense, a lackluster defense, and no difference-making players stepping up obviously had something to do with the loss. But even more, it was the fact that no single part of the Eagles’ performance contributed to them playing winning basketball. There was not a single bright spot.
Even BC’s leading scorer, Donald Hand Jr., was inefficient and ineffective compared to his usual self. He shot 3 of 13 from the floor, 2 of 10 from three, and 50 percent from the free-throw line.
“He had a six-game stretch of 25 a game, so you don’t want to question everything he does at this juncture,” Grant said about Hand. “He was trying to help his team, and he was trying to be aggressive, and he had an off day.”
As this season comes to an end, the question of whether Hand will return next season becomes pressing.
“The portal opens up on the 24th,” Grant said. “Donald Hand has been a great player for us. Got a great relationship with he and his parents. You know, we’ll get to those conversations at some point, but I think he’s excited about what he’s doing.”
In many ways, the game was a fitting ending to BC’s season.
The Eagles’ 19 first-half points, compared to 48 in the second half, demonstrated their frequent tendency for inconsistent play. Their struggles defending Pitt at the three-point line are representative of a persistent pattern.
And most of all, the fact that the game ended in a loss felt rather fitting considering the season the Eagles have had, as they miss the ACC tournament and head into the offseason with a 12–19 overall record.
“Typically, we play in the ACC Tournament, and we make runs, right?” Grant said. “That’s what we’ve been doing every year. So it’s weird, you know?”
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