Recap:

On Tuesday night, Wake Forest handed Boston College its fourth loss of the season in disheartening fashion. After taking a 40-36 lead into halftime, the Eagles struggled on both ends of the floor in the second half, ending the game with an 84-78 loss to the Demon Deacons. For the Eagles, Quinten Post had 20 points, and Claudell Harris Jr. and Devin McGlockton each added 15 of their own. However, it wasn’t enough, as Wake Forest saw four players score 13 or more points. The Eagles got off to a hot start in the first half, and found themselves up 34-24 with 4:51 to go in the half. But the Demon Deacons were able to go on a run before halftime, and carry their momentum into the second half, finding themselves up 77-67 with 3 minutes to play. A heroic last ditch effort by Harris came up just short, and Boston College dropped to 0-2 in ACC play. 

A Tale of Two Halves:

Tuesday’s game against Wake Forest was truly a tale of two halves for both teams. In the first frame, BC was firmly in control of the game, setting the tone with their stifling defense and excellent shot-making. Post dominated both ends of the floor, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the first 20 minutes, and blocking two shots at the rim. Jaeden Zackery looked to be at the top of his game in the first half, scoring both inside and out. Zackery also played his patented defense, drawing two offensive fouls in the first half. 

However, as previously mentioned, Wake Forest was able to turn things around coming out of the locker room. After the Eagles went up 43-36 on the first possession of the half, Wake responded with a 13-2 run to take a 49-45 lead. Outside of McGlockton’s scoring, the Eagles were not able to get much going on the offensive end, and struggled to get the same open looks they saw in the first half. After shooting nearly 50% in the first half, the Eagles shot just 35% in the second half. Post shot just 1-5 in the second frame, and Zackery was held scoreless. 

On the defensive end, the Eagles couldn’t touch their intensity from the first half. After holding Wake to 44% shooting in the first half, the Deacs were able to convert 62% of their second half field goal attempts.  Most notably, in the second half alone, Wake Forest’s Cam Hildreth scored 14 points on 6-8 shooting, and the Eagles allowed Wake’s Efton Reid to score 11 on perfect shooting from the field. 

Questionable Timeout Usage:

Coach Grant’s timeout usage is so harped on within the BC Basketball fandom, it is hardly ever worth noting. But Grant’s timeout usage last Tuesday was particularly suspect, even by his standards. There were several key runs by Wake in this game that could have been mitigated by calling a timeout. First, after going up 34-24 in the first half, Wake Forest responded with a run to cut this lead to just four points going into the locker room. Next, coming out of the half, the Demon Deacons were able to put in 11 points before the first timeout on the floor. Fans might have liked to see Grant try to stop the bleeding at some point during either of these scoring outbursts by Wake. 

Lastly, and most suspect, Grant declined to call a timeout after Harris Jr. cut the Wake lead to 79-78 with 40 seconds left. Instead, Grant allowed his team to play out the possession on their own, which led to a defensive collapse and a wide-open three-pointer, which effectively put any hopes of a BC comeback to rest. When asked about his decision in the press conference, Grant defended his decision, saying he trusted his defense did not want to allow Wake coach Steve Forbes a chance to draw up a play during the timeout. 

Perhaps a timeout in this instance could have given Grant a chance to communicate his defense. Whatever the case, it does not appear that Grant will be changing his game management going forward.

Execution Down the Stretch:

In both ACC games this season, BC has had opportunities to win the game in the second half, and in both games, BC has failed to come out with a win. The parallels between the Eagles’ loss to NC State and Wake are almost scary. In both games, the Eagles struggled with free throws, suffered a back-breaking defensive breakdown in the final minutes, and even lost both games 84-78. Against NC State, BC missed 12 (!!) free throws in a game that went to overtime. Further, in a key possession when the Eagles had a lead in overtime, McGlockton over helped on defense, leaving his man open to knock down the go-ahead three. 

Similarly, on Tuesday night against Wake Forest, the Eagles went 15-22 (68.2%) from the free throw line. While this isn’t a horrible percentage, three of these seven misses came in key spots in the final 6:36 of the game. Then, on the final defensive possession of the game, McGlockton (again) helped off his man and let up the game-ending three. Hopefully the Eagles’ coaching staff will be able to address both issues in practice going forward. 

Player Highlights: 

While this loss to Wake was incredibly disappointing, there are still several positives fans can pull from this game. First, Devin McGlockton proved he can be an elite player in the ACC. While I was hard on him for his defense in the previous section, the sophomore forward played one of the best games of his career. Against a very long Wake Forest team, McGlockton scored 15 points on 5-7 shooting, and pulled down 9 rebounds (7 on the offensive glass!). The sophomore’s stats continue to climb, as McGlockton is now averaging 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds on the year. 

Next, as mentioned earlier, Post looked absolutely dominant in the first half, scoring 14 points in the first half. Post stuffing the stat sheet is nothing new to Eagles’ fans, but the way he scored was awe-inspiring. The seven-footer was attacking his matchup, and getting whatever he wanted on offense. Unfortunately for the Eagles, this game was a tale of two halves. In the second half, Wake was eventually able to wear the big man down, as he played all 20 minutes, and saw his play suffer as a result. If the Eagles want to see Post at his best, it is absolutely necessary that they find a way to stay afloat so he can catch his breath.

Lastly, I would be journalistic malpractice if I failed to mention Harris’ absurd scoring in the closing minutes of the game. The junior guard scored 10 of his 15 points in the final three minutes of the game, and nearly brought the Eagles’ back from the dead. Unfortunately, it was not quite enough. Nonetheless, Harris Jr. showed that he is always a threat to score and is emerging as an excellent scoring option behind Post. 

What’s Next:

The Eagles return to action Saturday afternoon, when they will take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. Georgia Tech is 8-5 on the year, and 1-1 in conference play, but they do hold ranked wins over Duke and Mississippi State. So, Saturday should be a great test for the Eagles, who will look to get back to their winning ways. Following Saturday’s game, the Eagles’ road trip continues with a trip up north to Syracuse on Wednesday. Then, BC takes on 16th-ranked Clemson on Saturday the 13th down in South Carolina. The Eagles return to Conte Forum on Monday the 15th for a matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. If the Eagles want to keep their postseason hopes alive, it will be crucial to pick up some wins on the road.