With last night's loss to Georgia Tech, the Boston College men's basketball team falls to 4-25 in road games going back to the start of the 2011-12 season. 4 and 25. On its surface, that seems like a difficult mark to hit. At some point you'd think that Boston College would eke out a few more wins on the road. But here we are ... 0-9 in 2011-12, 3-7 in 2012-13 and just 1-9 this season.
It would be one thing if BC was only playing tough competition on the road, but that's hardly been the case. The Eagles have found all sorts of ways to lose on the road -- to some of the better ACC teams as well as to some middling opponents.
Here are the Eagles 29 road games* over the last three seasons (going back to Donahue's first full recruiting class). kenpom ranking is as of Thursday night for this season, and the final kenpom ranking for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
Season | kenpom | Opponent | W/L | PF | PA | PD | |
2011-12 | 217 | @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons | L | 56 | 85 | (29) | |
2013-14 | 204 | @ Virginia Tech Yellow Jackets | W | 62 | 59 | 3 | |
2011-12 | 177 | @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | L | 47 | 51 | (4) | |
2012-13 | 158 | @ Virginia Tech Hokies | W | 86 | 75 | 11 | |
2012-13 | 148 | @ Penn St. Nittany Lions | W | 73 | 61 | 12 | |
2013-14 | 138 | @ USC Trojans | L | 62 | 78 | (16) | |
2012-13 | 134 | @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons | L | 72 | 75 | (3) | |
2013-14 | 130 | @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | L | 71 | 74 | (3) | |
2011-12 | 129 | @ Maryland Terrapins | L | 65 | 81 | (16) | |
2012-13 | 124 | @ Clemson Tigers | W | 68 | 61 | 7 | |
2013-14 | 124 | @ Auburn Tigers | L | 67 | 77 | (10) | |
2012-13 | 121 | @ Florida St. Seminoles | L | 66 | 69 | (3) | |
2011-12 | 112 | @ Providence Friars | L | 57 | 64 | (7) | |
2013-14 | 105 | @ Purdue Boilermakers | L | 67 | 88 | (21) | |
2011-12 | 98 | @ Virginia Tech Hokies | L | 65 | 66 | (1) | |
2013-14 | 89 | @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish | L | 73 | 76 | OT | (3) |
2013-14 | 59 | @ Providence Friars | L | 78 | 82 | OT | (4) |
2013-14 | 52 | @ Harvard Crimson | L | 58 | 73 | (15) | |
2011-12 | 50 | @ Miami Hurricanes | L | 57 | 78 | (21) | |
2012-13 | 48 | @ Maryland Terrapins | L | 59 | 64 | (5) | |
2011-12 | 44 | @ N.C. State Wolfpack | L | 62 | 76 | (14) | |
2012-13 | 40 | @ Virginia Cavaliers | L | 51 | 65 | (14) | |
2012-13 | 34 | @ N.C. State Wolfpack | L | 64 | 82 | (18) | |
2011-12 | 33 | @ Virginia Cavaliers | L | 49 | 66 | (17) | |
2013-14 | 27 | @ North Carolina Tar Heels | L | 71 | 82 | (11) | |
2012-13 | 14 | @ Miami Hurricanes | L | 50 | 72 | (22) | |
2013-14 | 9 | @ Virginia Cavaliers | L | 67 | 77 | (10) | |
2012-13 | 6 | @ Duke Blue Devils | L | 68 | 89 | (21) | |
2011-12 | 6 | @ North Carolina Tar Heels | L | 60 | 83 | (23) |
Some observations:
-- While there's still time for this year's Virginia Tech squad, and a road game at #1 Syracuse is fast approaching, you can't help but laugh at the fact that the worst team BC has faced on the road over the last three seasons -- a 2011-12 Wake Forest team that finished the year 13-18 -- handed BC's its most lopsided road loss over the last three seasons.
-- BC has lost a total of 11 road games by 10 or less points, yet has only won two games by 10 or less. One of those two games, a three point victory over Virginia Tech earlier this season, nearly went to OT on a Hokies desperation heave.
-- Eleven of these losses were by 15 or more points. Six were by 20 or more.
-- The Eagles have yet to defeat a team that either currently ranks or finished in kenpom's top 100 on the road (0-15).
-- The best team BC has defeated on the road ranked 124th in kenpom's final 2012-13 rankings (Clemson).
-- The average kenpom ranking of the four opponents BC defeated on the road is 158.5. The average kenpom ranking of the 25 opponents BC has lost to is 79.8.
* Officially, last year's Charleston Classic game versus the College of Charleston goes down as an away game, but I'm counting it as a neutral site contest. BC lost that one too, 71-67, to finish in eighth place. Out of eight teams.