MBB Postgame Thread: Gators Ease Past Eagles, 90-70

In the opening three-game stretch of this season, the Boston College Eagles have played with a surprising fire and attitude. Tonight, on the same court as those previous games, that fire was nowhere to be seen. Your Boston College Eagles fell to the Florida Gators by a score of 90-70, and frankly it never felt that close. Keyontae Johnson and Tre Mann had 24 and 17 points to lead the Gators and all scorers, while Rich Kelly had 13 off the bench to lead the Eagles.

It was a slow start for BC that set the tone for the entire game. The Eagles clearly came out hoping to knock down some three-pointers early and punch the Gators in the mouth. A mix of poorly taken shots and bad misses put a disorganized BC in a double-digit hole early. Jim Christian’s game plan never seemed to just adjust, and the team ended with just three players (Tabbs, Rich Kelly, and CJ Felder) in double-digit scoring.

The apathetic start extended to the defense, where Tre Mann and Florida’s guards got easy layup after easy layup. When the Gators did miss, they rebounded as a group and got put-backs or converted open threes; their offense ended shooting 56% from the field and 41% from three on the backs of excellent execution against a lackadaisical defense.

There were some high(er) points. James Karnik’s arrival as a literal mountain on the court showed what BC could do as a power/inside team. CJ Felder continued to show off his improved form this year, with a couple of great offensive moves and highlight defensive plays. And, in a day of unremarkable effort, Makai Ashton-Langford showed both the skill and heart that made him such a prized recruit.

But this was the type of game that the Eagles played when they lost to Hartford or IUPUI or any other low-major team: tired, dull, and uninspired. Except this time it was against a damn good Florida team and thus: 20 point blowout.

I usually prefer to add more real analysis to games here, but this one was just bad from start to end. Jim Christian and the team will need to go back to the drawing board on both ends of the floor, and even that won’t matter if the effort stays like this. I’m optimistic that it won’t because the Eagles have shown so much heart the first three games of the year (even if it didn’t work out). Those games were at least fun to watch. This game was anything but.