Boston College Basketball Preview: 20 Questions for the 2019-2020 Season
1) Wait, college basketball is back?
Yes, as crazy as it sounds college basketball is back and we’re less than a week into November. It’s definitely earlier than normal.
2) And are we really starting our season off with an ACC game vs Wake?
Yup, the ACC increased the number of conference games from 18 to 20 and in conjunction with this year’s launch of the ACC Network, the conference decided to have a number of teams kick off their year against a conference foe. No Maine or St. Francis of Brooklyn to work out the early season rust for BC this year; it’s a big game right out of the gate.
3) Alright, let's talk about the players on the team. Who will emerge as the best player on the team?
I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I think it will end up being Nik Popovic. He’s come a long, long way from his freshmen year and really was a solid player for BC last year averaging 14.5 points and 7 rebounds a game. He won’t ever wow anyone with his athleticism but he’s got a crafty low-post game that has been effective. Defensively, he’s gotten better. No one will mistake him for Dikembe Mutumbo but he can hold his own against a lot of opposing bigs. If we can get 16 and 8 from Nik with improved defense, I’ll be happy.
4) Which players does BC need to improve the most from last year?
I’ll give you two: Steffon Mitchell and Jairus Hamilton.
Let’s start first with Mitchell. During his first two seasons at BC, he has shot less than 43% from the field, less than 28% from 3 (under 6% last year – yuck), and under 57% from the charity stripe. Lucky for Eagle fans, Mitchell has been working tireless at it. Mitchell has a great all-around game outside of his shooting so if he actually can add some scoring, it’ll do wonders for the team.
Hamilton meanwhile had some ups and downs during his freshman season. There were moments where he flashed his potential but for the most part struggled adjusting to the speed of the college game with foul trouble and turnovers. With a full season under his belt, I expect a bit of a leap this year from Hamilton. I expect him to jump closer to 10 points a game and becoming a pivotal player in the Eagles front court.
5) What should we expect from the transfer Derryck Thornton?
It’s not every day BC gets a transfer from a former starting point guard for Duke. Thornton was a Top 15 recruit in the country when he arrived in Durham in 2015 and started 20 games for the Blue Devils before transferring and playing with Southern Cal the past two season.
Thornton’s stats aren’t super impressive on the surface – about 7 points a game, 3 or so assists and not the best shooting percentages. But BC needs all the help it can get in the backcourt – Chris Herren Jr. is the only healthy guard from last season that returns. Having an experienced player like Thornton will be critical for the Jim Christian’s rotation.
6) Are there any freshmen we should look out for?
The one I’m looking forward to most is Jay Heath and BC is going to need him from the get go with Wynston Tabbs out for the year (more on that next). Early rumblings are that BC fans are going to really like the two-way abilities the 6-3 guard from Washington D.C. has shown in practice and scrimmages. I expect Heath to start and become a fan favorite quickly.
Besides Heath, the other freshman that is drawing lots of chatter is 6-7 forward CJ Felder who will probably make our jaws drop with a highlight dunk or two this year J
7) What’s the latest on Wynston Tabbs?
As was announced about two months ago, he’s out the year after having knee surgery.
Disappointing that the knee injury that sidelined him for a good portion of last year cost him this season. We can only hope he’s back for 2020-21. He’s a special player.
8) At the end of the day, who will be the most important player on the team if we’re going to make any noise?
To me, it’s going to be Heath. We need him to be All-ACC Rookie Team special to have this be a successful year for the Eagles. With a thin guard rotation, I expect Heath to play heavy minutes and he’ll need to be an impact player on both ends of floor. In Heath, we trust.
9) Switching gears, let's look at the schedule. We know the opener is Wake Forest. What other games should be circled for the first month or two of the season?
I’d throw three non-conference games and two conference games as the ones to check out in November and December:
11/16 vs Belmont: a regular in the Tournament. Tough game.
11/27 vs St. Louis: a good test against a mid-major program.
12/3 vs Northwestern: AJ Turner’s return to BC in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge
12/7 at Notre Dame: Our 2 ACC game, can we end the losing streak vs the Irish?
12/31 at Duke: What better way to ring in the New Year than a trip to Cameron Indoor?
10) What are the top 3 home games for BC this year?
1/7 vs Virginia: The defending National Champs come to Conte… while Students are on break. Hopefully we can give some tickets to nuns to fill out the seats.
2/4 vs Duke. A home game vs Duke will always be a big deal.
3/3 vs Syracuse. Senior Day vs the Orange. I hope at this point of the year, we’re still playing for something.
11) What’s the key stretch of the season?
This may sound weird not giving a stretch of games in ACC play, but I’m going to say the five game stretch starting November 23 that goes through the Thanksgiving holidays and into December:
11/23 vs DePaul, 11/27 vs St. Louis, 11/30 at Richmond, 12/3 vs Northwestern and 12/7 at Notre Dame.
If we’re ever going to turn the corner as a program, we need to build some early season momentum and get our guys to play with some confidence. This stretch will be a good test. Not a single team in this is a complete slouch and a couple road games. Play well during this stretch finishing 3-2 or better and I’ll feel better about the year.
12) What’s the one thing you’d like to see different from Jim Christian this year?
Umm, some defense would be nice. Jim Christian’s teams have never been about 10 place in defensive efficiency while at BC. How are we expected to move towards the top half of the conference if we are routinely ranked near the bottom on defense? Some of his teams in the MAC were solid defensively so what’s the issue at BC? I’m not sure. All I know is that if he can’t figure out how to improve his team’s defense, this could be the last year he’s BC’s coach.
13) Time to talk coaching. How warm is Jim Christian’s seat?
It’s pretty, pretty warm. He’s entering his sixth year here and has a 62-100 record with an 18-72 record in conference play. No way to sugarcoat it – that’s bad. There are two things that are working in his favor to get him another year (whether you agree with them or not).
The first is the Tabbs injury – it can be built in as an excuse to any struggles this year. I don’t buy it really as a reason for him to get another year. It’s year six. If he doesn’t have enough depth to sustain some injuries, that’s on him. Plus, he hasn’t shown he can do much when he does have some great talent! We had Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson – two guards currently on NBA rosters – and didn’t sniff the NCAA Tournament.
The second reason he may get some wiggle room is his recruiting class coming in next year is shaping up to be one of the best at BC in a while. That might convince Jarmond to give him another year.
14) What’s JC got to do to get another year at BC?
I think he’s going to need to win 16-17 games at a minimum and have the program actually look like it’s improving with a core of young players. If he finishes 14-17 again with 5 or less ACC wins, I have a hard time seeing how we keep him. The team has to start turning the corner this year.
15) Random question time. Is BC doing anything different at home games this year to improve the environment?
Apparently, they’re bringing a DJ into Conte. I’m for any and all ways to attract students into the arena. It's still blows my mind that when I was a freshman at BC, you could apply for season tickets and get a "half-season" package. Now, they beg you to go to any and all games. Oh well. Let’s see how the DJ experiment goes. Winning basketball will always be the ultimate driver to bringing back the students in droves.
16) Any word on if BC is going to get a basketball practice facility?
Not really and that’s frustrating. BC is the only Power 5 program without a dedicated basketball facility. Seems crazy to me but that’s BC. I know Jarmond has mentioned that we’ll build it as soon as we have the money but I think that’s just another way for him to push any and all fans to donate more.
17) Okay, final predictions. Who will lead the team in points, rebounds and assists?
Points – Nik Popovic
Rebounds – Popovic
Assists - Heath
18) What will our final record of the year be and will we make the NCAA Tournament?
We finish the season 16-15 with a 7-13 ACC Record. We’ll lose our annual Tuesday afternoon game at the ACC Tournament leaving us with a 16-16 overall record.
19) Will Jim Christian be the head coach for the team in 2020-2021.
With a 16-16 record, Jarmond will spin it as a great year considering we lost Tabbs before the season began and had so many freshmen and sophomores playing. Christian will return for Year 7 at BC in 2020 and will be facing a true “do-or-die” season.
20) What’s your prediction for tonight’s game against Wake?
I’m going to take the Eagles 74-69. #SOAR
