BC’s big day, Part I: Eagles vs. Clemson

Win and in.

It’s really as simple as that: if Boston College basketball wins today, the only thing we will have to worry about on Sunday evening will be what seed BC gets in the NCAA Tournament, and where the team will play. With a berth in the ACC semifinals and, in so doing, a win over another tournament-worthy team, it would be very hard to believe that the Eagles would be left out.

To accomplish this task, however, a quarterfinals rematch with the fourth-seeded Clemson Tigers is scheduled to take place at approximately 2:30pm in Greensboro. In the first meeting, the Eagles fell 77-69, playing decently in the first half but falling well behind in the second, only to claw back at the end to save some face. BC outrebounded Clemson by a comfortable margin, collecting an impressive 15 offensive rebounds in that first game, but could not cash in as they shot a miserable 38% from the field against Clemson’s good defense. The Tigers, for their part, shot 53% from the field, with three players at 15 points or more. The leading scorers for the game, however, were Reggie Jackson (27) and Joe Trapani (22). In an odd coincidence, Jackson had 27 points and Trapani 22 in yesterday’s win over Wake Forest. Biko Paris had 21 yesterday, but only 3 in the first Clemson game.

The Eagles are currently 0-5 at Littlejohn Coliseum, but this game is in a different state. The Tigers have a 5-8 record away from home this year, collecting losses to such teams as NC State, Virginia, and South Carolina outside of the friendly confines. BC, on the other hand, is 8-7 away from Conte Forum.

Clemson is favored (-3.5), and rightly so, though I believe these two teams to be relatively even. The Eagles and Tigers’ resumes are fairly similar, and they seem to balance each other out. For example, the Eagles are more adept at offense while Clemson has shown better defense; BC is better at shooting, particularly from beyond the arc, while the Tigers have a slightly better rebounding and turnover margin. Combined with the fact that this game is being played on a neutral court, that makes for a close contest. I don’t expect a runaway score, but neither outcome would surprise me, as this game is just as important for Clemson as it is for BC. The winner gets either North Carolina or Miami tomorrow.