Previews and Predictions: Boston College at Providence

Boston College (5-1, 0-0 ACC) will be hoping to carry some momentum after its come-from-behind win over Colgate in a clash with Providence (4-1, 0-0 Big East) tonight at 8 pm EST. The Friars have been a powerhouse in the northeast recently, making four straight NCAA Tournaments (they technically went out in the First Four last year, but I’d call that a tournament appearance if BC made it and I have no reason to hate Providence basketball). The Friars’ only loss this season has been to #14 Minnesota, and Kenpom currently has them as the 32nd best team in the country. They have impressively well rounded scoring, but led by senior guards Rodney Bullock and Kyron Cartwright. The Eagles will also have to contend with the twin peaks in Nate Watson (6’10” 260 lbs) and Dajour Dickens (7’0” 220 lbs), who provide some exciting (if raw) front court depth for coach Ed Cooley’s squad. Look for the Friars to try and use that interior presence against BC’s improved, yet still vulnerable, group of bigs in Nik Popovic, Johncarlos Reyes, and Luka Kraljevic.

Keys to Beating the Friars

As we’ve seen in every game this season, turnovers are going to be key for the Eagles. Simply put, there have been too many this year. Boston College has just three more assists than turnovers (71 to 68), and they have allowed teams like Colgate to stay around longer than they should and let teams on the ropes (cough* Texas Tech) get away. The other key is, once again, controlling the boards. Colgate had FOURTEEN offensive rebounds against the Eagles. Second chance points will kill the Eagles, so boxing out is no longer optional.

Aside from that it’ll be interesting to see how Jim Christian handles defense in this game. The Friars are shooting over 47 percent from three, third best in the nation, but rank near the bottom in three-point attempts. Does BC defend the paint and hope that efficiency is due to sample size?

Predictions:

Eric: 75-73 BC

Katie: 80-73 BC

Matt: 75-68 BC

Patrick: 82-73 Providence

Food and Non-alcoholic Beverage to enjoy during the game

The food this week has got to be leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches. Hopefully you’re not tired of turkey and stuffing and gravy yet (that’s usually not until next week), so pile it on.

The drink of the game is apple cider, because there’s only a few days left in November and apples lose their appeal as we move into December.

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Matt O’Neil

Toppin

BCI

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Katie