Boston College is coming off a rough season and will need to make some major improvements to be better than last year. You can take a look at BetQL to see if BC has a chance to hit on their college basketball over under this season
Welcome to The Sports Bankโs third annual college basketball season preview series. ย Two years we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. ย Last year, we were slightly more aggressive and expanded to 111 teams in 111 days and will do so again as we look ahead to the 2012-2013 season.
We will rank the 75 power conference teams and top 36 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order. ย Weโll break down rosters, transfers, incoming freshmen, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
With one of the youngest rosters in all of college basketball last season, the Boston College Eagles understandably struggled last season. ย With eight freshmen now becoming sophomores, BC brings more experience to the floor this season but that wonโt necessarily translate into more wins.
Click here for The Sports Bank’s Boston College football preview.
BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES
Last season: T-9th, 4-12 in ACC, 9-22 overall
Predicted ACC Finish: 10th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Dennis Clifford (So)/Kyle Caudill (So)
PF: Ryan Anderson (So)/Andrew Van Nest (Sr)/John Cain Carney (So)
G/F: Patrick Heckmann (So)/Danny Rubin (Jr)/Eddie Odio (So)
SG: Lonnie Jackson (So)/Olivier Hanlan (Fr)
PG: Jordan Daniels (So)//Joe Rahon (Fr)
Gone: SG-Matthew Humphrey (transfer-West Virginia), PG-Gabe Morton (transfer), SG-Peter Rehnquist, SG-Deirunas Visockas, G-John Cahill
2012-2013 Outlook:
BC returns five of their top six scorers from last season. ย All five of those players were freshmen which means Steve Donahue has a solid core returning. ย The only problem is none of those returning players really stand out.
Of that group, power forward Ryan Anderson is the best player. ย He led the team in scoring and rebounding, and possesses a solid inside/outside game that can cause problems for opposing defenders. ย Seven-footer Dennis Clifford will once again start at center alongside Anderson and brings more of a defensive presence in the middle.
The Eagles added some size and experience inside in Harvard transfer Andrew Van Nest who becomes immediately eligible since he is a graduate student. ย Van Nest didnโt see a lot of playing time with the Crimson but could earn minutes at BC. ย Kyle Caudill is a physical force inside though limited with his abilities and adds size inside. ย Seldom used John Cain Carney will also try to be more of a factor off the bench.
Starting shooting guard Matt Humphrey chose to play his final year at West Virginia so the Eagles have some scoring punch to replace in the starting line-up. ย Patrick Heckmann and Lonnie Jackson, the teamโs top perimeter shooting, will have to up their scoring averages from the 8.3 points per night they each posted. ย BC also lost John Cahill and Kyle Morton to transfer so theyโll have new players stepping into roles off the bench. ย Eddie Odio and Danny Rubin barely sniffed the rotation last season and will be challenged for minutes by freshman combo guard Oliver Hanlan.
5-8 Jordan Daniels returns the run the show for the Eagles though he barely wowed anybody during his freshman campaign. ย Hanlan could steal minutes from Daniels and physical freshman Joe Rahon could also factor into the rotation.
The Eagles also picked up a key transfer in Notre Dame small forward Alex Dragicevich. ย He must sit out this season per NCAA transfer rules but will be allowed to practice with the team.
Donahueโs rebuilding project is in year two. ย While he returns a good amount of talent, that core is still very young and inexperienced with only two upperclassmen on the roster. ย Plus the real fact of the matter is that there just isnโt any elite talent on the roster to quickly turn Boston College into a real threat in the ACC. ย For that to happen, Donahue must get his players to truly buy into the team concept which is what made his Cornell clubs so successful.
Player to Watch: Ryan Anderson
A unanimous ACC All-Freshman team honor, Anderson is clearly the best player on BCโs roster. ย For a team that finished 329th in the nation in scoring and couldnโt crack 60 points a night, Anderson has to produce more on the offensive end. ย He didnโt shoot the ball exceptionally well last year so improving his perimeter game and shot selection will benefit both his games and BC the Eagles as a whole.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/15 vs. Baylor (Charleston Classic)
11/16 vs. Colorado/Dayton (Charleston Classic)
11/15 vs. St. Johnโs/Charleston/Auburn/Murray State (Charleston Classic)
11/28 at Penn State (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
TBD vs. Auburn
TBD vs. Harvard
TBD vs. Providence
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#102 Penn State Nittany Lions
#103 Arizona State Sun Devils
#104 Virginia Tech Hokies
#105 Texas Tech Red Raiders
#106 Auburn Tigers
#107 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
#108 TCU Horned Frogs
#109 Mississippi State Bulldogs
#110 Utah Utes
#111 Nebraska Cornhuskers
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank.ย He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.ย David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu.ย He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.
