Boston College gave it a try down in Charleston, South Carolina, but there just wasn’t enough in the tank for an upset to brew.

On Thursday afternoon, in the first meeting between these two programs, the Eagles were defeated by #16 Baylor, 84-74. BC falls to 1-1 on the season and will now face Dayton in Friday afternoon’s consolation bracket game.

Boston College started the game well and played with a great deal of life deep into the second half; one of the signature moments of the game was Ryan Anderson’s half-court three-pointer as the first half expired. The Eagles went on to take the lead over the #16 team in the country several times in the closing period, but the wheels eventually came off for the Eagles with about six minutes to go, as the Bears pulled away for good.

For Baylor, there were definite pluses, including Pierre Jackson, who led all scorers with 31 points and seven assists, while Isaiah Austin led all rebounders with nine.

As for Boston College, who were widely expected to lose this game in blowout fashion, there are a number of good things to take from this performance. In the second game of the season last year, BC got dismantled by Holy Cross; this time, they hung with a ranked team on a neutral floor for over 33 minutes before finally running out of gas. For a while, it seemed that the Eagles were playing well enough to win and had a legitimate chance, but Baylor’s closing minutes were far superior. As such, the Bears only committed one turnover in the second half.

Ryan Anderson had another excellent game with 25 points, though 19 of them came in the first half. Freshman point guard Olivier Hanlan recorded another solid performance with 16 points, while Harvard transfer Andrew Van Nest had 13 points off the bench for the Eagles. Also, the rebounding split only slightly favored Baylor, as the aggressive Eagles were not overpowered on the boards.

There were, however, some negatives. Lonnie Jackson went just 2-for-7 from beyond the arc (2-for-9 overall) as he continues to struggle finding his shot. Joe Rahon went 1-for-7 himself, only scoring three points. Patrick Heckmann committed four turnovers, three of which came in the second half (two on consecutive BC possessions), making him a liability on the offensive end. Finally, Boston College again had trouble defending the three, as Baylor made 12 en route to a win.

For Boston College, it is disappointing that they lost, but overall the team played respectably well. It may not mean anything at all for the season going forward, but if the first two games are any indication, this Boston College basketball team is not going to be an easy out. Despite some shooters having difficulties, this team is definitely better on offense and is not getting crushed in rebounds. There is definitely cause for optimism going forward, because this does not at all look like a team that will finish last in the ACC again.

Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

The Boston College Eagles men’s basketball team started off their season at home the right way on Sunday, defeating Florida International by 14 points. When the going got tough for the Eagles, who went 9-22 last season in a rebuilding year, they buckled down and went on a late 12-0 run to reestablish order and lock down the victory. They may be 1-0 now, but their chances of going 2-0 are far more dicey. On Thursday afternoon, the Eagles are heading to Charleston, SC to face #16 Baylor.

These two programs have no history at all, and yet, they do. Boston College and Baylor have never before met in basketball, but one of Baylor’s best shooters is the cause of the link between these teams. Brady Heslip was a Boston College recruit who sat on the bench in maroon and gold before transferring. He never touched the court for the Eagles, and after Al Skinner was dismissed as BC’s coach, he never would. Now, he plays for the Bears, and has helped guide them to the national rankings again.

Heslip’s former team is still recovering from a near-total roster turnover, but even in just one game this season, they’ve shown signs of improvement. The offense did better work on Sunday than at almost any point last year, keyed by a tremendous performance from Ryan Anderson. Boston College scored 84 points despite having made only two three-pointers the entire game, and much of that had to do with going to the basket and drawing contact, then making the free throws while at the line. Strong offensive rebounding also created second-chance opportunities for the Eagles against FIU.

But that was FIU, and this is Baylor. One would expect a Bears roster that’s a little longer and a little stronger, and probably more physical as well. If Boston College were to do any damage at all on the boards, it would speak very well of them, especially considering how lacking they were last season.

Where Baylor makes their money is in offense, as seen by Heslip and other players like Isaiah Austin, Pierre Jackson, and Cory Jefferson. Against two lesser teams this season, the Bears are shooting 58% as a team, but are only knocking down a quarter of their threes (which one can expect would go up against the Eagles unless they figure out perimeter defense by Thursday afternoon). Another thing Baylor has done so far is collect rebounds: the Bears had just over 40 in both of their games, with double-digit offensive rebounds in each.

Make no mistake: this is a very good team Boston College is about to play, and one that should give all of us a true read of where the Eagles are in their development. At this point last season, they were busy getting crushed by the likes of Holy Cross and UMass. A representative performance against a ranked team would indicate that they’ve come miles from where they were in 2011-12.

That could be counting on a lot, however. Other than the fact that Boston College’s offense looks more aggressive, we can’t read much of anything into a game against FIU. Chances are Baylor will win on Thursday, but the Eagles can help themselves out a lot if they maintain that aggressiveness and let it carry over onto the defensive side of the ball. The Eagles will also need to cut down on the turnovers, of which they had way too many against FIU. A lot of things are going to need to come together for BC to be able to win this game or to even have a chance, but it may not be completely beyond this team to pull a shocking upset. After all, they’ve done it before: just ask Florida State.