BOSTON COLLEGE PREVIEW

(2/10, 9:00pm, Chestnut Hill, MA)

In contrast to the FSU game, I'm upbeat about tonight's game. Boston College features a top-thirty offensive team and a slightly better than average division I defense, but don't worry, this is good for the second-worst defense in the ACC. On offense, BC favors the inside game, crashing the boards to pick up easy points. Look for a physical game inside when BC has the ball; I expect Sykes, Potter, and Grant to take every opportunity to use their 12-15 fouls. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles are not too shabby from the line, ranking 63rd in division I. The very good news for Clemson is BC lacks heigth, getting blocked on 11.4% of all 2-point shots this year. Get ready for some highlights...

On the other end of the floor, its worth noting that despite an overall sub-par defense, BC is good at defending the three. What I'm not sure about is if this will translate into getting good pressure on the perimeter, definitely something to look for early in the game. But beyond defending the three well, BC struggles to force turnovers, struggles to keep opposing teams off the glass, and gives up a lot of points underneath. Expect Clemson to run through Booker early and often, with any early three attempts probably coming in transition or before BC gets set in the halfcourt.

Of the teams Clemson has played so far, Miami profiles the closest to BC. Good offense, average to mediocre defense. We all know what happened in the Miami game--I'm not expecting a double digit route, but Clemson has to be the favorite here. If they have problems feeding the post, or Booker lands in foul trouble, the game will likely end up close. I would also mention stamina as a possible factor since we only have a three day turnaround, but BC is coming off a Sunday night drubbing at Wake Forest, which should pretty much cancel things out. Besides, Clemson better get used to it--after the first Virginia game its all three days rest or less until the stretch before the regular season finale at Wake.