Boston College wanted Conte Forum full of Eagles fans for their national television game against North Carolina. They could could control that, but they could not control the effort of the teams on the court.

For the Eagles, it was nowhere near that of the visiting Tar Heels, as North Carolina defeated Boston College, 82-70. With the loss, BC falls to 9-11 (1-6) and has lost five games in a row. That 1-6 mark in ACC play also matches their final record for the month of January.

The home team got out of the gates quickly, running out to an 8-2 lead on the Tar Heels at the first media timeout. UNC’s slumber only lasted for about four or five minutes, as the Heels went on a long scoring run thereafter and left BC in the dust. After assuming a double-digit lead late in the first half, North Carolina never looked back. BC was able to close to within ten points towards the end of the contest, but it was too little, too late.

Perhaps the most notable instance in this game came with only four minutes remaining in the first half. Patrick Heckmann of Boston College drove to the hoop, and PJ Hairston and Dexter Strickland both attempted to make a play, but the two Tar Heels collided and Hairston ended up hitting the court hard. When staff attempted to move him, he lost his balance and had to be helped back to the floor until paramedics could take him elsewhere. Hairston returned to the North Carolina bench in the second half but did not play.

It was a most unfortunate thing for the Heels, because Hairston played extraordinarily well when he was in the game. They still had more than enough firepower to win without him, but he looked on course to have a special night.

Boston College wasn’t on course for anything special. North Carolina dominated in rebounding and played a tougher, more physical game. The Tar Heels came up with shot after shot to prevent the Eagles from getting close; once BC fell behind, it was a substantial challenge for Boston College to get back up off the mat. BC freshman Olivier Hanlan led all scorers with 22 points; James Michael McAdoo led the game in rebounds with ten, posting double-doubles in consecutive games.

For the Eagles, it is now a question of where they go from here and how they can hope to salvage anything from this season, even if just some good feelings. When BC was 9-6 (1-1), things were starting to look up again, as they had just won their fifth game out of six. Now, some bad luck, inability to close games, and the rigors of the ACC schedule have sent them to their fifth-straight defeat. This performance was lackluster and uninspiring by BC, just as the last one was (though North Carolina and Virginia are very different teams). Once more, the Eagles are becoming less fun to watch and more disappointing. Nevertheless, the future of this program will not be decided this season, but in those to follow, in case some perspective was warranted.

The Eagles return to action on Saturday afternoon as they host the Clemson Tigers.

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Boston College basketball is looking to wrap up a difficult January which has already seen them go 1-5 in ACC play when far better things were possible. The last game of the month is at Conte Forum against the North Carolina Tar Heels, a traditional ACC power that just lost to its in-state rivals in Raleigh. For some insight on the Heels, Soaring to Glory turned to Keeping It Heel, North Carolina’s FanSided wing, and its lead editor, Matt.

STG: At 13-6 (3-3) this year, this is not what we’re used to seeing from North Carolina basketball. We know UNC lost some talent heading into this year, but does that fully account for what we’ve seen?

KIH: Sadly, it does not fully account for what we have seen this season. Yes, some growing pains were expected this year, losing four first round picks will do that to any program, but this season has been a disappointment in every sense of the word for Carolina fans.

This team has struggled defensively both in the half-court and in transition. Dexter Strickland, who tore his ACL mid-way through last season, has not been the same lock-down perimeter defender he was. The team has struggled to give consistent effort, fails to get back defensively, and surrenders easy transition buckets routinely. Perhaps the most frustrating thing for UNC fans has been the management of the starting lineup and rotations by head coach Roy Williams. UNC starts two offensively inept players in Strickland and center Desmond Hubert and have found themselves in big holes early in most of their losses this season. This team has a ton of talent, they just haven’t put it together this yet this season and Tar Heel Nation is beginning to wonder if it will happen at all this year.

STG: What do you think the March potential is for North Carolina in terms of ACC Tournament performance, NCAA Tournament seed, and the team’s ultimate fate?

KIH: This team is a lot better than the 2010 team that went to the NIT and I’m still holding firm on my preseason prediction that this team would struggle but eventually find their way enough to get into the NCAA Tournament. In terms of seeding, right now this is a bubble team but I think they eventually earn a seed between 7-9 in the tournament.

STG: Coming into this year, it looked as though UNC would rely heavily on James Michael McAdoo. How has he performed so far?

KIH: Expectations were far too high for McAdoo coming into this year. He’s been solid and is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder but he’s been very inconsistent. He plays too fast and has yet to find his niche. McAdoo is more comfortable playing facing the basket and has yet to develop a true post-up game, and until he does that he’s not going to be a player a true contender that UNC can rely on to lead them.

STG: Offensively, what can we expect to see out of North Carolina, and what kind of offense are they running now with their less-experienced roster?

KIH: UNC is still trying to run their traditional fast-paced offense that relies on the fast break and quick shots early in the shot clock. Trying is the key word here; Carolina is still ranked 8th in the nation in scoring and 2nd in assists. When we’re rolling, the vast majority of our field goals are assisted on and the team is connecting from outside. This team’s greatest weapon in the half-court is their three-point shooting led by Reggie Bullock, who leads the conference in three point field goal percentage, and P.J. Hairston, who is a threat to pour it on at any given moment. UNC struggles when their opponent is able to dictate the pace of the game and forces the Heels to slow things down and win in the half-court.

STG: How will this BC/UNC game go?

KIH: Although I’ve spent most of this discussion telling you about the problems with UNC basketball, the fact remains that this team is much better than Boston College right now. I like what I see from players such as Ryan Anderson but the Heels just have too much firepower. UNC has their flaws but they won’t lose to a team that ranks no higher than 133rd in the nation in any offensive category. Coming off a loss to arch rival NC State, expect Carolina to come out fired up and win by double-digits.

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