SAME FEDORA-NEW CROWN? (DDSCB22)

[beardicus 0]

This is an impressive amount of work

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 19, 2026: Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) vs Boston College Eagles (1-0) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

Roy Means, fan

I love college baskeball.  While I don’t have a season ticket I try to get as may Eagles games as I can.  Last season I got so excited by how BC did when they came up just short of winning the CIT championship.  That’s carried over to this season and the Eagles crushing of Baylor kept my excitement at a fever pitch.  I read that Oklahoma totally shut down their first opponent this year, Western Carolina…holding them to 44 points and stifling their shooting so that the Catamounts hit just 26% of their shots.  BC needs to break the Sooner defense.

The teams fought it out for the first 5 minutes with BC holding a slim 7-6 lead.  But it was nearly all Eagles the next 5 minutes as they spurted out to a 19-11 lead.  The Eagles expanded their lead to 15 and led 38-26 at the end of the half.  Strong defense by the Eagles forced the Sooners to turn the ball over 9 times and hit just 37% of their shots.  BC also dominated the boards 23-15.  C Courtland Reese scored 8 and had 5 rebounds.

BC rapidly pulled out to a 51-30 lead in the first 5 minutes of the 2^nd half. PF Marvin Reese was injured…I’m not sure what the injury was but they took him to the locker room.  The Eagles waltzed to a 78-59 victory by outshooting Oklahoma 49% to 35%, out-rebounding the Sooners 39-31 and holding a 16-13 turnover advantage.

C Courtland Reese the Eagles leading scorer with 17 points plus he had 9 rebounds.  SG James Lilly had 13 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 4 steals and a block.  Reserve SF Michael Millford scored 12 points in 15 minutes of play.

[PointGuard 70]

1^st Assistant Coach David Woodruff

Injury Report:  PF Marvin Reese broke his ankle while fighting for a rebound when another player landed on his leg when both crashed to the floor.  Marvin is expected to be out 7-8 weeks.  Big loss for us.  We’ll experiment with 2 different options: (1) moving Sam Dickens to start at PF rather than SF and starting Michael Millford at SF; (2) starting Jason Caldwell at PF.  We believe Sam can play well at either SF or PF.  Michael had a very strong game coming in off the bench against Oklahoma.  Jason was a strong starter last season.

2-Game Eval: Strong wins both times.  I know they’re home games, but we weren’t playing pushovers.  Out starters looked very good in both games.  Our bench had a tough first game, but they came through in our second game, scoring 32 points and pulling down 15 rebounds.  I like what we’ve been doing defensively thus far.  We’ve worked hard on defense in practice and our guys have responded…very few defensive breakdowns.  We’ve been able to keep both opponents off balance and our tight defense has made it difficult for them to get the ball in the hoop.

PF Marvin Reese

Man, I’m bummed by my broken ankle and having to miss a couple months of our basketball season.  Things were really looking good for the team and me.  Of course I’d played with James Lilly last season, but starting with the 3 new guys has been fun.  They’ve brought a whole new energy to the team.  The team’s still gonna do good, but not being part of that sucks.  Doc says my ankle should heal up fine and I’ll be able to finish out BC’s season.  Right now I have to keep weight off of the ankle so I’m sitting around and using some crutches when I have to move.  But he says that soon I can wear a walking boot as the bones continue to heal.

This season I’m not the only Reese on the team.  Many people assume Courtland Reese is my brother, but he isn’t.  I’d never heard of him before he joined us.  When she found out another guy named Reese was on the Eagle, my grandmother began doing some genealogical research.  It turns out Courtland is a distant relative…a 3^rd cousin I think she said.  But he’s a part of the family that apparently my side has had no relationship with.  Courtland and I now laughingly call each other “Cuz”.  Some of our teammates are calling me Cuz1 and him Cuz2.

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 23, 2026: Vanderbilt Commodores (1-0) vs Boston College Eagles (2-0) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

3^rd Assistant (Scouting) Coach Rob Rowland

I’m enjoying the new job here at Boston College.  The assistant coaches for UC Irvine shared scouting duties, so I got to do a fair amount but also shared practice duties.  Here I help with practice but am the primary scout, so I feel like I’m away from the BC campus more than I’m here. 

We’re taking on Vanderbilt.  They’ve only played a single game thus far, beating Tarleton State 66-53.  The Commodores primarily use a triangle offense, but since it’s early in the season they are playing with a lot of offensive freedom.  SF Dalron Robertson scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds in their first game. So we need to control him. His younger brother, Loren Robertson, is Vanderbilt’s PG and is a competent floor general with a sweet outside shot.  SG Kyle Dumas didn’t shoot well against Tarleton State, but will put up a lot of shots and has the ability to hit them.  Vanderbilt’s C Jon Beaudean uses his bulk to do some effective rebounding.  I don’t think the Commodores man-to-man and 3-2 zone defense will be as potent against us as it was versus Tarleton State.  I like our chances but Vanderbilt won 20 games last season and got to the NCAA Tournament so we need to take them seriously.

Due to Marvin Reese’s injury, tonight we started Jason Caldwell at PF.  Following a steal by SF Sam Dickens, Caldwell drove to the hoop and scored our first points just 32 seconds into the game.  We went ahead 4-0 but fell behind 7-6.  There were 8 lead changes and 4 ties, but we shot poorly (34%) which allowed Vanderbilt to inch ahead and take a 31-25 halftime lead.  The Commodores also dominated the boards 21-11 but we held a 10-2 turnover advantage.  SG Kyle Dumas scored 10 points for Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt continued to dominate early in the 2^nd half, building an 11 point lead.  Midway through the half, Coach Aura turned up the defensive pressure and called out our guys about their lack of aggressiveness on the boards.  The team rallied and took a 49-47 lead with 7 minutes to go.  The lead then shifted back and forth.  With 3:17 to go we were tied at 58-58.  Lilly dropped in a pair of free throws and Courtland Reese scored inside and our defense was rock solid giving us a 62-58 advantage with 1:23 left.  Our defense was impenetrable (Vanderbilt scored just 2 points in the final 3:17 and those were on free throws) and we pulled away for a resounding 71-60 victory.

While we failed to control Vanderbilt’s Dalron Robertson who finished by scoring 23 points, we outscored the Commodores 36-15 in the final 10 minutes of the game.  So it took us 30 minutes to unravel Vanderbilt’s defense, but when we did, we really caught fire.  In the 2^nd half we out-rebounded Vanderbilt 20-8.

Top scorers for the Eagles were: PF/SF Sam Dickens-14; SG James Lilly-13 (plus 8 rebounds); C Steve Ross-12; PF Jason Caldwell-10; C Courtland Reese-10.

Edited June 29, 2021 by PointGuard

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 26, 2026: #11-ranked Creighton Blue Jays (4-1) vs Boston College Eagles (3-0) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

RyReys Log (Ryan Reynolds, blogger):

Nov. 25 blog:

Boston College has played some good teams thus far, but they will have their biggest test tomorrow night when #11 ranked Creighton comes to town.
Creighton beat #2 ranked North Carolina by 19 and #4 ranked Arizona by 10 and won the Paradise Jam Tournament this season.  SF Andre Gooden is averaging 27.4 ppg and has scored over 30 points in 2 of the Blue Jays’ 5 games.  Last season Gooden was named to the Big East All-Conference 1st Team.

Nov. 26 blog:

Earlier tonight, BC hosted the Creighton Blue Jays.  Coach Fred Aura again started Jason Caldwell at PF due to the injury to Marvin Reese.  Personally, I may have started Steve Ross at PF.  In the past two games he’s scored a total of 21 minutes in the 22 minutes he’s been on the court plus he’s pulled down 7 rebounds.  But maybe Coach Aura intended to save Ross as a super sub.

In the early going it looked like BC was going to control Gooden, but then he quickly sunk three 3-pointers giving Creighton a 17-14 lead with 12-1/2 minutes left in the first half.  The two teams swapped the lead for the next few minutes but then the Eagles began to outscore the Blue Jays.  BC edged Creighton in all team stats to achieve a 42-35 halftime advantage.  SF/PF Sam Dickens scored 11 points, grabbed 5 boards and dished out 3 assists.  For Creighton both SF Andre Gooden and reserve PF John Woodward each scored 11 points.

The Eagles opened a 10 point lead early in the 2nd half only to have Andre Gooden single-handedly erase it.  BC edged ahead again but Creighton caught up and the game was tied at 59-59 with 8 minutes remaining.  With 5:11 to play and BC up 67-64, SF Sam Dickens fouled out trying to guard Andre Gooden.  The teams were knotted again at 75-75 with 2 minutes left.  The Blue Jays sunk a 3 and then on the next possession 2 free throws to go up by 5 points.  Courtland Reese jammed in a dunk to cut the lead to 3 and then BC rebounded when Creighton missed a shot.  BC called a time out with 41 ticks on the clock.  It looked like the Eagles tried to free up James Lilly for a 3 but he was too tightly guarded.  He dumped the ball off to PG Josh McFadgon who faked a pass to Michael Millford and then swung it back to Lilly who had moved to the right of the lane.  Lilly quickly put up a 14 footer that went cleanly through the hoop to make it 80-79 with 33 seconds remaining.  Gooden got clear but missed a 3, and BC grabbed the rebound with 21 seconds to go.  Another time out yielded yet another busted play forcing the Eagles to work the ball around the court.  With 4 seconds remaining SF Michael Millford lofted up a 3 that dropped through the net giving BC a 2 point lead.  Creighton called a time out but due to the Eagles full court press was unable to get the ball into the forecourt until there was too little time to get off a desperation last shot.  Boston College escaped with a thrilling 82-80 win to preserve their perfect record.

Creighton’s SF Andre Gooden scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds.  But Boston College got good scoring throughout their lineup.  SF Sam Dickens scored 13, C Courtland Reese and PG Josh McFadgon each hit for 12, PF Jason Caldwell and SF Michael Millford each had 11, and SG’s James Lilly and Jason Dunn both scored 8.  Reese also pulled down 10 boards.

Following the game Coach Fred Aura said, “This was a close game all the way.  The way our guys came back from being down by 5 with just over a minute to play was impressive.  Creighton is a really good team.  I’m just glad we were playing them at home.  It took a complete team effort for us to get by them.  And Michael Millford’s winning shot with just seconds left was tremendous as was the way our defense kept the Blue Jays from getting off a shot in the final seconds.”

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 30, 2026: San Diego State Aztecs (2-1) vs Boston College Eagles (4-0) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

Jason Dunn, SG

Last season San Diego St. had a 26-11 record, was ranked #20 in the polls, and got to the 2^nd round of the NCAA Tourney.  C Marlon Hackett is averaging 17.7 ppg and 11.7 rpg.  Last year he was on the Mountain West Conference (MWC) All Conference 1^st Team and was the MWC Player of the Year.

We started slowly, but then just took care of business.  Played good defense (holding the Aztecs shooting to 31% plus making them turn the ball over 10 times).  Offensively we were hot hitting 61% of our FG’s and 57% of our 3’s.  We also out-rebounded San Diego St. 18-14.  By the end of the half we were on top 44-29.  SF Sam Dickens hit for 12 points and PG Josh McFadgon scored 10.  I played the final 7 minutes and scored 5 points.

San Diego St. scored the first 8 points in the 2^nd half.  We re-established a big lead but then let the Aztecs get back into the game midway through the 2^nd half as they closed to within 67-60 with 7-1/2 minutes to go.  With 4 minutes left our lead was down to 71-66.  We were having trouble cracking the Aztecs 2-3 zone defense.  But then we applied a lock-down defense and poured in some shots to win going away 85-68. 

SF/PF Sam Dickens pumped in 22 points, PG Josh McFadgon had 16 points, and SG James Lilly scored 11 and had 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a block.  We held the Aztecs’ C Marlon Hackett to 11 points but he pulled down 14 rebounds.

Coach Fed liked that 10 of us scored in this game and that we controlled the boards 38-28.  He wasn’t pleased that we made 19 turnovers, though.

[PointGuard 70]

Dec. 3, 2026: #14-ranked Brigham Young Cougars (6-1) vs Boston College Eagles (5-0) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

Coach Fred Aura

Tough team coming to take us on.  Tough time for our front line to break down.  Marvin Reese is out for several more weeks, but in the locker room after our last game Jason Caldwell reported his hand was sore…turned out to be a sprained finger.  He said he noticed it while playing. I got on the team about the necessity to let us know right away when they are injured.  Then in practice yesterday, Sam Dickens came down with a sore back.  Dickens and Caldwell will be able to play in tonight’s game, but aren’t 100%.  Hopefully Courtland Reese and Steve Ross can play more than usual.  We’ll start Dickens at PF, give him frequent rests, and monitor how his back holds up.  Michael Millford will start at SF tonight.  Caldwell will be on the bench but we’ll play him if necessary to spell our other interior players on the court.  SF Earl Betts may also be used at PF for a bit.  Injuries are a part of the game, so gotta make do.  The Cougars have victories over DePaul and Auburn and just finished steamrolling Kentucky 101-85.  Their top scorers are PG Harold King (16.6 ppg), SG Desmon Takaki (15.1 ppg) and C Trevor Murphy (14.7 ppg).

We came out hot, jumping out to a 13-4 lead in the first 4 minutes.  Brigham Young then went on a 12-0 run that put us down by 3 points with 13-1/2 minutes left in the half.  The Cougars slowly moved out to a 9 point lead.  We came back to tie them and then Brigham Young totally crushed us late in the half.  We went to the locker room trailing 46-34.  The Cougars’ SG Desmon Takaki scored 15 points and C Trevor Murphy had 10 points.  For us C Courtland Reese scored 14 points in the half.

Even though we tried to tighten our defense, the Cougars maintained a 10-15 point lead for much of the 2^nd half.  We made a run that got us to with 5 points at 74-69 with 5-1/2 minutes to go.  But then BYU scored the next 7 points to put us back in a hole we couldn’t climb out of.  We incurred our first loss of the season, falling by a final score of 90-80.

We outshot the Cougars 56% to 50% and controlled the boards 34-20.  But we had 24 turnovers to just 12 by BYU and the Cougars hit 11 of 24 three-pointers. And the BYU trio of Takaki, King and Murphy scored 25, 18 and 16 points respectively.  Out inability to stop them was our downfall.

For us C Courtland Reese finished with 27 points and 7 rebounds while PG Josh McFadgon and SG James Lilly both scored 13 points.  Uncharacteristically, SF Michael Millford simply disappeared, getting off no FG attempts, missing both free throws he took, and only getting one rebound while turning the ball over 3 times in his 18 minutes of playing time.  His replacements at SF did little better so it was sort of like playing with just 4 players.  Sam Dickens had a subpar game as well so apparently was hampered by his aching back.

[PointGuard 70]

Jason Braxton, Athletic Director

In the polls this weekend, Brigham Young lept up to #6 in Media Poll and #4 in the Coaches Poll following their wins over Kentucky and us this past week.  Meanwhile we remained unranked even though our NET ranking is 5^th best in Division I.  North Carolina which is 4-4 now with 3 of their 4 losses being to unranked teams (their other loss was to Creighton, a team we beat) is ranked #23 in the Media Poll.  The Tar Heels only strong win was a 2 point road win over Butler.  North Carolina has the 152^nd best NET ranking.  8 ACC teams are in the Top 25 in the polls.

[PointGuard 70]

Dec. 7, 2026: Stanford Cardinal (2-3) vs Boston College Eagles (5-1) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston Globe

EAGLES OVER CARDINAL

Boston College’s offense struggled early trying to break Stanford’s 1-2-2 zone defense.  But the Eagles’ defense then solidified.  BC went on a 12-0 run midway through the first half to take a lead they held onto throughout the rest of the first half.  The half ended with BC on top 36-30.

The Eagles moved out to a 14 point lead just 3-1/2 minutes into the 2^nd half.  BC would never relinquish a double-digit lead from there on and led by as much as 24 points.  Boston College finished the game by giving the Cardinal a 72-56 pasting.  The Eagles outshot Stanford 48% to 37% and held a 38-29 rebounding advantage.

C Courtland Reese led BC with 18 points.  SF/PF Sam Dickens dropped in 12 points and PG Josh McFadgon and SG James Lilly both scored 10 points.

[PointGuard 70]

Dec. 13, 2026: Boston College Eagles (6-1) vs Cornell Big Red (4-6) at F. R. Newman Arena in Ithaca, NY

Father Paul Sedgewick, Jesuit Community at Boston College

It was my turn to be the priest accompanying the team on their road trip.  It’s cold and icy in Ithaca.  Fortunately we don’t have to be outside much.  It’s very hilly here so I’m glad our bus driver is good at handling icy roads.

I’d heard that Sam Dickens and Samuel King had been arguing recently and that Coach Aura had tried to intercede, but both players had not been open to his counseling.  I observed their abrasiveness to one another so when I had a chance I spoke briefly with each of them.  Like Coach Aura, the responses were negative.  Whereas Sam Dickens has been playing well, he has integrated poorly with his teammates.  I’m going to keep my eyes and ears open, and when the time is right, I’ll try talking with him again.  My message to the team before the game centered on the importance of teamwork and trusting and respecting teammates.

Since Cornell’s academic term has already ended and most students have gone home for the holidays, Newman Arena, which holds about 4400, seemed pretty empty.

The Eagles ground on Cornell the entire first half, out-playing the Big Red and steadily increasing our lead.  Cornell cut the Eagles’ 17 point lead some at the end of the half, but BC still led comfortably by a score of 44-32 at the intermission.  The Eagles totally owned the boards in the first half and C Courtland Reese scored 11 points.

Our guys seemed lethargic for the first 5 minutes of the 2^nd half and Cornell cut the lead to 9 points.  But that seemed to wake up the Eagles and they again forged ahead, building as much as a 23 point lead.  They crushed the Big Red by a final score of 84-65.

SG James Lilly and C Courtland Reese both scored 15 points with Lilly also pulling down 8 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists.  PF Jason Caldwell dropped in 13 points and SF/PF Sam Dickens and SG Jason Dunn each scored 11.  Dickens grabbed 8 boards.

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New here

[PointGuard 70]

Dec. 21, 2026: Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-1) vs Boston College Eagles (7-1) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

JJ Conroy, BeanTownSports Blog

Yesterday Boston College completed their pre-conference play with an easy win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Let’s face it.  Even though Mississippi State came into this game with an impressive 6-1 record, they gained it by beating at home 6 pushovers.  Their only loss was to a fairly good team on a neutral court. 

In last night’s game, the Bulldogs turned the ball over on 4 of their first 6 possessions and missed two shots they were able to get off.  BC took advantage of such incompetence to post a 10-0 lead in the first 4 minutes of the game.  In the final 10 minutes of the first half the Eagles expanded their lead to finish the half with a big 39-20 halftime advantage.  Mississippi State hit only 35% of their shots and had 11 turnovers in the half. 

Mississippi State was unable to narrow the gap in the 2^nd half and BC came away with a solid 80-57 victory.  The Eagles scored 46 points in the paint.  It looks like the Bulldogs need to spend some practice time on interior defense.

C Courtland Reese topped the scoring with 21 points plus he had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.  SG James Lilly had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.  PF Jason Caldwell scored 10 points and PG Josh McFadgon finished with 8 points and 9 assists.

So BC goes into ACC play with an 8-1 record.  Impressive, right.  Well not as impressive as you might think.  8 of their 9 games were played at home.  Their only road game was against an Ivy League softy.  While I think they’re a better team that last year’s squad, they will be going up against ACC teams that achieved a combined 113-33 record in pre-conference play this season.  And 10 of their 20 ACC games will be on the road.  At this point it’s not possible to accurately predict how the Eagles will do, but my guess is that they will finish in the middle third of the ACC standings…so OK, but not great.  Poll voters don’t put much substance in BC’s record since they have yet to crack into the Top 25 whereas 4 ACC competitors reside firmly in the polls: Clemson, 11-0 is #5, Virginia, 11-0 is #8, Duke, 8-2 is #9, and Syracuse, 7-2 is #17.  On the other hand, the Eagles hold claim to the #2 best NET ranking.  Since they will play strong competition the rest of the season, their NET ranking may slip some but will probably remain pretty high.

Coach Fred Aura

Immediately after the game, PG Josh McFadgon left to travel to Indiana.  His grandfather passed away.  Josh wanted to go to his grandfather’s memorial service, but was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get back in time for our next game.  I told him not to worry…just go.  His family is most important.  I let him know that if he isn’t able to be back in time for our first ACC game that, while we’d miss him, we have the players to backfill.  With our next game in Syracuse, he’ll rejoin us there if he’s able. 

[PointGuard 70]

Boston College Chronicle

EAGLES READY FOR ACC PLAY

By Kinsey Ramsey

With the completion of their pre-conference play, BC’s basketball team looks to be well-prepared to go up against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents beginning next week.  The Eagles sport a solid 8-1 record after beating a series of strong competition the past two months. 

“We can’t wait to begin going up against ACC teams,” said Jason Caldwell who has been starting at PF recently.  “My teammates and I believe we can compete well against any ACC team this season.”

Caldwell’s confidence seems to be well-placed as the Eagles averaged 78.6 ppg while allowing their 9 opponents thus far to average just 66.3 ppg.  The team has almost 50% of their field goal attempts.

Leading the team’s scoring has been C Courtland Reese who is averaging 15.9 ppg.  The Eagles other typical starters also are scoring well: SF Sam Dickens (11.7 ppg), SG James Lilly (11.4 ppg), PG Josh McFadgon (9.0 ppg), and PF Jason Caldwell (7.8 pgg).  Top reserves have been: C Steve Ross (6.4 ppg), SG Jason Dunn (6.2 ppg), and SF Michael Millford (4.8 ppg).  Top rebounders have been: SG James Lilly (6.7 rpg), C Courtland Reese (6.1 rpg), SF Sam Dickens (5.6 rpg), and PF Jason Caldwell (4.2 rpg).  Assist leaders are: PG Josh McFadgon (5.0 apg), SG James Lilly (3.7 apg), and SF Sam Dickens (2.1 apg).

Coach Frederick Aura said, “I’ve been pleased by how our team has played.  We’ve have shown any really weak areas, although we’re working to cut down on turnovers.  We’ve been strong both offensively and defensively and our rebounding has been very good.  Even though three of our starters are new to our program, the team has coalesced well.  But although we played some good teams thus far, ACC competition will be a step up.  We’re continuing to work on all aspects of our game to be ready for that.  Having our first two ACC games on the road is a big challenge.”

BC travels to Syracuse, NY to take on the Syracuse Orange Monday.  Syracuse is ranked #17 in the polls and has a 7-2 record.  The Eagles will then conclude their first week of conference play by taking on North Carolina State in Raleigh, NC.  The Wolfpack have a perfect 9-0 record thus far.

[PointGuard 70]

Dec. 26, 2026: Boston College Eagles (8-1) vs #17 ranked Syracuse Orange (7-2, 0-0) at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY

1^st Assistant Coach David Woodruff

We need to try to contain SG Adrian Hooks who’s scored 25.9 ppg.  Hooks has tallied 29, 33, 32 and 41 points in the Orange’s last 4 games.  He gets a lot of touches and takes a lot of shots and is a wizard at drawing fouls.  So my concern is that our guards will get into serious foul trouble.  Syracuse’s freshman C Mike Miller has shown why he was the #9 ranked recruit last year by averaging 11.8 ppg and 8.0 rpg.  He’s definitely a force to contend against inside.

Josh McFadgon was able to get the last seat on a flight from Chicago to Syracuse and arrived at the Carrier Dome 45 minutes before the game was scheduled to start.  We’d planned to start Willis Lofton at PG since we didn’t expect Josh to be with us for this game.  But due to Josh’s effort to get back in time for the game, we’ll start him as usual.  He may wear down sooner than usual.  We’ll keep close tabs on him and insert Willis Lofton and Jon Ray at the Point more than usual, if needed.

On another front, we got word from PF Marvin Reese’s doctor that his broken ankle is mending well, and he is likely to be ready to return to the lineup in 2 weeks.  So that means he will miss just 4, or at most 5, of our ACC games.  That’ll be a big boost for us.

Both teams had a tough time getting untracked offensively in the early stages of the game.  Defense held sway throughout the first half.  We opened a 7 point lead midway through the half.  But Syracuse came on strong towards the end of the half to come away with a 30-27 advantage at the break.  We only hit 30% of our FG attempts. 

Our shooting didn’t improve in the 2^nd half and Syracuse drew away from us.  Our efforts to cut into their ever-expanding lead failed.  Syracuse showed why they are a ranked team by smacking us 81-60.  The Orange outshot us 44% to 32% and out-rebounded us 41-31.

C Courtland Reese played well, scoring 16 while pulling down 7 boards.  SF Sam Dickens scored 11.  But we were unable to stop Syracuse’s SG Andre Hooks who scored 32 and grabbed 11 rebounds.

[PointGuard 70]

Dec. 30, 2026: Boston College Eagles (8-2, 0-1) vs North Carolina State Wolfpack (9-2, 0-2) at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC

ACC Network

This game pitted two teams that had stellar pre-conference records but were unranked and now have yet to win in ACC play.  Boston College’s star-freshman center Courtland Reese came down hard on his hand in practice, and while he was able to start, Coach Aura admitted that his hand was sore.  North Carolina State’s star-senior point guard Justin Nelson also entered the game still nursing a sore calf, but was able to start.

The Eagles defense was nearly impenetrable in the first half, holding NC State’s shooting to a measly 23%.  BC also COMPLETELY DOMINATED the boards, pulling down 26 rebounds to just 9 by the Wolfpack.  The result was a 31-16 lead at the half for Boston College.  Even though C Courtland Reese was playing hurt, he still dropped in 12 points and had 5 rebounds in the first half.  But the Wolfpack’s PG Justin Nelson played most of the half but scored just 3 points and was a non-factor.

NC State continued to seem bewildered by both BC’s man-to-man and 2-3 zone defenses in the 2^nd half.  The Eagles opened a 29 point lead with 8 minutes to go.  The Wolfpack finally made a run to cut the lead to 14, but then Boston College reasserted their dominance and pulled away again to record a convincing 69-47 victory. 

As has been their habit, BC continued to exhibit sloppy ball control, making 21 turnovers compared to just 11 by NC State.  But the Eagles outshot the Wolfpack 49% to 32% and owned the boards to the tune of 46-19.  BC also scored 36 points in the paint compared to 18 by the Wolfpack and held a 15-4 advantage in second-chance points.

For Boston College, C Courtland Reese had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.  C Steve Ross scored 11 and SG James Lilly added 10.  SG Alvan Daniels with 10 points was the only NC State player to score in double figures.

Security at PNC Arena was called into question when a person in a Joker costume ran onto the court during a 2^nd half timeout, tossed a water balloon into the BC team huddled around their coach, wrapped a streamer around one of the referees, sprinted by one security guard, feinted around a second security guard, bowled over an usher and escaped out the doors without being caught.

[PointGuard 70]

Jan. 4, 2027: Virginia Tech Hokies (7-4, 0-2) vs Boston College Eagles (9-2, 1-1) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

Arnold Hackstatter, Professor of History at Boston College

I have two basketball players in my World History class…Josh McFadgon and Michael Millford.  Michael is a great student…always prepared, good in discussions, and straight A’s.  Josh is a bit of a challenge.  He came to us from a junior college and wasn’t exceptionally well-prepared for the academic pressures here.  He struggled early, but his coaches got him a tutor the first couple months and have had him on a study table since.  His grades are edging up.  In my class he’s somewhere between a B and C now.  He’s quiet in class and has been tough to draw out, but getting better.  Anyway, they challenged me to attend one of their games, so here I am.  Outside of PE in high school, I never played basketball.  Josh is starting and I’ve been led to believe that Michael is a key reserve.  I’m hoping both do well tonight.

Virginia Tech came out hitting nearly every shot and the Eagles fell behind 10-5.  Josh McFadgon looked good though.  Great ball handler and passer and hit some key baskets.  Michael Millford got into the game early.  The Eagles fought back and took a small lead with 14 minutes remaining in the half.  The game remained close for the next 5 or 6 minutes and then BC drew away.  At the end of the half, the Eagles had developed a 38-25 lead.  C Courtland Reese was the leading scorer for BC with 8 points, but Josh McFadgon had 7.  Michael Millford had just a single point but I thought he’d played well.

Josh and Michael both started the 2^nd half.  Both teams were scoring freely in the early going of the 2^nd half.  Michael took a pass at the top of the key and drove down the lane and laid the ball into the hoop to get the crowd roaring.  He was fouled on the shot and sunk the free throw for a 3 point play to put the Eagles ahead 52-39 with 15:15 remaining.  A couple minutes later, Josh drove into the lane, pulled up and sunk a nice jumper to make it 57-43.  Late in the half BC’s shooting went ice cold and Virginia Tech cut the lead to 2 points with 4 minutes to play. But then the Eagles went on a 15-2 run to win going away 78-63.

BC players scoring in double figures were C Courtland Reese with 16 points, PG Josh McFadgon with 14, and SG James Lilly and SF/PF Sam Dickens both scored 11.  Josh saw me in the stands after the game.  I gave him a thumbs up and he responded with a big smile.

[PointGuard 70]

2^nd Assistant Coach Chris Evans

Marvin Reese has been working out at half-speed now in our team practices.  His broken ankle is pretty much heeled.  We expect him to be ready to play within the next week.  Having him back in at PF will really help us with our interior depth.  And when Marvin gets rolling again, he can give us a big boost offensively.

[PointGuard 70]

Jan. 6, 2027: Boston College Eagles (10-2, 2-1) vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4, 1-2) at Edmund P. Joyce Center in South Bend, IN

Coach Frederick Aura

Pre-game:

Notre Dame’s lost 2 of their first 3 conference games, but they played all 3 on the road and their sole win was over #5 ranked Clemson.  They’ve packed Joyce Center tonight to help motivate their team to beat us.  They’ve got some really talented players including freshman SG Freddie Curtis who is averaging 19.8 ppg (and has another freshman, Mario Krimmel who was the #5 ranked recruit last season, riding the bench), PG Tom Tatus (12.4 ppg and 5.8 apg), and SF Rich Thompson (12.3 ppg).  Tatum’s nursing an injury to his toe, but I don’t expect that to limit him much.  I think we’re a little stronger than Notre Dame up front, but controlling their perimeter game is going to be tough and the Fighting Irish are good defensively.  Kenneth Watkins, their head coach, is a superb coach and a good friend of mine, but I’m going to be doing everything I can to put another loss on his coaching record.

Game:

Even though we were having a tough time getting our shots to fall, we took a small lead early in the game due to some solid defense by us.  But then our shooting woes got even worse and Notre Dame crept in front.  It seemed the only way we could score was at the foul line.  We finally put a nice little run together after the last media time out of the half to get within 2 only to have James Lilly pick up his 2^nd foul.  We tightened our defense at that point and edged in front to take a 27-26 lead to the locker room.  After hitting just 20% of our shots throughout the bulk of the half, our effort at the end improved that to 27%.  But Notre Dame only hit 39% of their shots.  We controlled the boards 21-14.  We need to work the ball around better in the 2^nd half to get clear shots.  In order to win this game we just have to shoot better.

Our ball handling carelessness bit us in the butt early in the 2^nd half and Notre Dame went ahead 39-33 with 15:49 to play.  I got on the guys during the media timeout.  Freddie Curtis caught fire making it tough for us to catch up.  We got back into it and swapped the lead back and forth.  With 7:53 to go it was knotted at 48-48.  We were killing ourselves with turnovers, though.  Gotta give some credit to the defense of the Fighting Irish, but a lot was sloppiness on our part.  Our offense sputtered and we trailed 52-49 with 3:23 left.  We simply were unable to hit our shots the rest of the way and fell 61-56.  It was extremely disappointing that we hit just 32% of our FG attempts.  While our defense kept us in the game, an anemic offense like that was deadly.  Turning the ball over 16 times didn’t help either.  This was a game we could have won had we played just a little better.

C Courtland Reese scored 15 points, SG James Lilly hit for 12, and SF/PF Sam Dickens had 6 points and 12 rebounds.  SG Freddie Curtis carried the Fighting Irish as their only player to score in double figures.  He finished with 18 points.

[PointGuard 70]

 

Jan. 11, 2027: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-3, 3-1) vs Boston College Eagles (10-3, 2-2) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

JJ Conroy, BeanTownSports Blog

Jan. 10 Blog:

This week Boston College has two home games.  Anything less that 2 wins will signify that the Eagles are likely to yet again disappoint those who have put faith in them.  Thus far BC is 2-2 in ACC which puts them in a large muddle of middle roader ACC teams.  Their loss to Syracuse was not unexpected since they were playing a solid team on the road.  But losing to Notre Dame, a generally unimpressive team this season, indicates they are going to have problems playing away from the friendly confines of Silvio O. Conte Forum.  Their two wins have been against teams (North Carolina State and Virginia Tech) that are residing at the bottom of the ACC standings. So there is little to crow about for those victories.

In this week’s home games the Eagles take on Georgia Tech and North Carolina State.  For a team to be successful in the ACC they have to win all, or nearly all, their home games.  North Carolina State should be a breeze since BC was has already beaten that team on the Wolfpack’s home court.  Georgia Tech will be a bigger challenge, but it’s a game the Eagles need to win.   Boston College gets PF Marvin Reese back into their lineup after a lengthy rehab after breaking his ankle.  If Reese is ready to play up to the level he was prior to the injury, that should be a big boost for the team and will allow Sam Dickens to log most of his minutes at his natural SF position.  I hear that reserve SG Jason Dunn sprained his finger in practice which is likely to limit him for the next week or two.

Jan. 12 Blog:

I made my way last night to Silvio O. Conte Forum to watch Boston College go up against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.  While there was a good-sized crowd in attendance, it was not a sell out. 

There were 9 lead changes and 7 ties in the first half but Boston College gained control late in the half to gain a 6 point lead at 38-32 at the end of the first 20 minutes.  Then the Eagles spurted to a big lead in the early going of the 2^nd half with as much as a 22 point lead.  Georgia Tech cut into the Eagles lead late in the game, but there was never any doubt who would win.  BC used a solid defense to cruise to a 77-62 victory.

PF Marvin Reese returned to the lineup with a vengeance, scoring 13 points, hauled down 9 rebounds and had 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.  SF Sam Dickens also had a very good game with 14 points and 7 rebounds.  C Courtland Reese just missed getting a double-double with 9 points and 11 boards.  The bench contributed 29 points.  The Eagles kept any of Georgia Tech’s starters from scoring in double figures, although 2 reserves did.

A solid team effort with a win that moved them into a 4-way tie for 5th place in the ACC, 1-1/2 games behind the conference leader.  Thus far Florida State is atop the ACC standings with a 5-1 record and ½ game ahead of Syracuse and Pittsburgh and 1 game ahead of Duke.

[PointGuard 70]

Jan. 13, 2027: North Carolina State Wolfpack (10-5, 1-5) vs Boston College Eagles (11-3, 3-2) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

Marvin Reese, PF

Man, it’s good to be back in the lineup and playing basketball again.  The past 2 months while I was nursing my broken ankle were pure hell.  I’ve never been off the basketball court so long during a basketball season.  When I was finally allowed to play in our previous game this week, I was bound and determined to do well…and I did!  In fact, I think I surprised everyone.  Many felt I’d be rusty and out of shape and it would take a few games before I could resume my form.  But I showed everyone. 

We ripped NC State 69-47 on their court a few weeks ago.  Coach Fed keeps telling us to forget that and not take the Wolfpack lightly.  Ivan Sims, the NC State PF who will be going up against me has been averaging 10.1 ppg and 5.5 rpg.  My job will be go keep him well under those numbers.  Sims is a good defensive player so I’m going to have to work hard on offense as well.  The Wolfpacks’ starting guards have combined to average over 26 ppg.

My cuz (Courtland Reese) and I scored the first points of the game to give us a 4-0 lead in the first 34 seconds.  By the time the first medial timeout came around we were on top 15-7 as our offense was jammin’.  Coach Fed subbed in Jason Caldwell for me at that point.  The Wolfpack came back to get within 3 points.  Then with 7 minutes left we fell behind 34-27 as we stalled offensively.  By the end of the half we trailed 48-36 and Coach Fed gave us hell in the locker room.

In the 2^nd half NC State seemed to score on us on just about every possession and we fell behind 69-50 with 12 minutes to play.  We tried to come back and got within 6 points with 2 minutes to go but just couldn’t get past the Wolfpack and lost 89-80.  We let NC State hit 51% of their FG’s and 52% of their 3’s.

Topping our scoring was C Courtland Reese with 27 points and he also had 10 rebounds.  SF Sam Dickens had 14 points and 7 boards.  PG Josh McFadgon scored 11 points.  I had 9 points.  The Wolfpacks’ reserve PG Marcus Shepard killed us by scoring 22 points.

Since we played so poorly defensively, Coach Fed is gonna work our butts off in practice.

[PointGuard 70]

Jan. 16, 2027: Boston College Eagles (11-4, 3-3) vs #6-ranked Clemson Tigers (14-3, 3-3) at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, SC

1^st Assistant Coach David Woodruff

Losing at home to North Carolina State last week was a real downer.  Both games this week are on the road starting with tonight’s game against the 6^th ranked Clemson.  The Tigers ACC record is just 3-3, but all 3 losses were close games.  They’re led by freshman C Williams Yeaton.  Yeaton is living up to the hype (he was the 6^th ranked recruit nationally last year).  He’s averaging 25.9 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.7 bpg, and 3.9 spg.  He’s scored 20+ points in 12 ga mes and over 30 points in 6 of those 12 games. Fellow freshman SG Lou Robinson is averaging 15.1 ppg.  Clemson is averaging 87.1 ppg.  The Tigers are going to score…so we need our offense to catch fire and not fizzle out.

One thing about the ACC is that there are several teams that have a great player, like Clemson does with Williams Yeaton, who can carry a team.  You’re not going to stop them, you just have to try to limit the amount of damage they inflict upon you.  Williams is an intimidator offensively, defensively and on the boards.  We will try to deny the ball to him, but in doing so I have the feeling we’re going to pick up a lot of fouls.  Since we need Courtland Reese on the court (and not riding the bench due to foul trouble), we’ll have to use our PF’s to do a lot of the guarding of Yeaton in a way we can spread the expected fouls to several of our interior guys.

And so the game began:  After 4 minutes we trailed 14-4 and PF Marvin Reese had picked up 2 fouls.  Clemson kept pouring in points while we made too many turnovers.  At the midpoint of the half we were down by a 27-14 score and Yeaton already had scored 11 points.  The Tigers outshot us 62% to 32% and also forced us to turn the ball over 14 times in the half.  We were far behind at 51-30 at the end of the half.  Yeaton scored 18 points in the half.

Clemson continued to rip the net in the 2^nd half and blow by us.  Midway through the half we were behind 76-47.  We were unable to sustain a challenge and got whomped by the Tigers 84-57.  We were simply outclassed by the talented Tigers.

PG Josh McFadgon scored 13, SF Sam Dickens had 11 points, and C Courtland Reese scored 9 while pulling down 10 rebounds.  Clemson’s C Williams Yeaton finished with 22 points and 6 rebounds. 

[PointGuard 70]

Jan. 20, 2027: Boston College Eagles (11-5, 3-4) vs Miami (FL) Hurricanes (9-9, 2-5) at Watsco Center in Miami, FL

Jason Braxton, Athletic Director

I’m attending ACC meetings here in Miami so have come over to Watsco Center to watch our team take on Miami.  I’m sure hoping we can pull of a road win so I can do some crowing to other AD’s during our meetings.

For the second straight game we’re having to deal with a court phenom.  Junior SF Dewayne Jennings is averaging 26.4 ppg for Miami.  Jennings was the Norton Award winner as a freshman and is having an even better year this season. 

We looked good early with a strong inside game, taking a 10-3 lead after just 2-1/2 minutes with C Courtland Reese scoring 8 of those points and PF Marvin Reese the other 2.  But Marvin Reese picked up his 2^nd foul 30 seconds later.  Miami began picking away at our lead and with 6 minutes remaining in the half, the Hurricanes overtook us at 27-25.  The half ended with on the short end of a 42-38 score.  Courtland Reese had 12 points for us while SF Dewayne Jennings topped Miami’s scoring with 11 points.

We hung in with the Hurricanes throughout most of the 2^nd half, but they held a small lead most of the way.  We then simply caved in the final 5 minutes and Miami took advantage to smash us 82-65. 

For the 2^nd straight game we were burned by a superstar.  SF Dewayne Jennings poured in 26 points and grabbed 10 boards for the Hurricanes.  Our leading scorer was C Courtland Reese with 20 points.  None of our other players scored in double figures.  The loss dropped us into a tie for 11^th place in the ACC.

[PointGuard 70]

Jan. 23, 2027: #12-ranked Duke Blue Devils (13-4, 5-2) vs Boston College Eagles (11-6, 3-5) at Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

Baldwin the Eagle

Duke has come to visit.  That normally means a loss for the Eagles.  But we’re counteracting that history by bringing out the “Red Devils” who are intent on obliterating the Blue Devils.  Red Devil signs, posters, costumes, face masks, etc, etc that reveal how our red devils will rampage over the blue devils.  I can’t say the BC administration and Catholic fathers have been all that supportive of our red devil days on campus.  But we’re intent on stimulating our team any way we can to upset favored Duke.  During halftime a costumed red devil and I will beat the hell out of a stuffed blue devil on mid court.

The two teams played pretty evenly all the way through the first half.  Duke hit a couple late shots that gave them a 33-23 halftime advantage.  The Eagles need to shoot better in the 2^nd half (they only hit 37% of their FG’s in the first half) and also figure out how to contain the interior duo of Tarkanian and McCoy who accounted for 15 of Dukes 33 points.

Our halftime “beat the stuffins outta the Blue Devils” didn’t help.  Duke gradually extended their lead.  By halftime they had a double digit lead that they held onto since our shooting didn’t improve in the 2^nd half.  We ended up losing 67-56.  The refs did our team no favors by sending the Blue Devils to the line 15 more times that us allowing the Dukies to score 13 more points on free throws, more than the difference in the final score.

C Courtland Reese had 14 points and 9 rebounds, SG James Lilly hit for 11 points, and SF Sam Dickens scored 9 plus pulled down 8 boards.  PF Robert Tarkanian poured in 18 points to lead Duke.

[PointGuard 70]

JJ Conroy, BeanTownSports Blog

Losing at home to Duke has become a tradition for Boston College, so last night’s loss wasn’t a surprise.  But the Eagles have now lost 4 straight that has dropped them to 3-6 in the ACC and close to the bottom of the heap in the standings.

And they not only lost at home to Duke but also lost at home to a team (North Carolina State) that they had beaten the Wolfpacks’ home court by 22 points.  What’s up with that?

When Coach Frederick Aura was hired, he was hyped as BC’s deliverance who would lead the team to the upper regions of the ACC standings.  In his first season the team lost more games than they won in ACC play and this season they seem to be on a pace that will drop them further down in the standings.

And that’s after recruiting 3 solid players (freshmen Sam Dickens and Courtland Reese and JC transfer Josh McFadgon.  Those 3 have played well, especially Reese and Dickens, but the rest of the team has been a real disappointment.  SG James Lilly seems to be afraid to take shots and his scoring has dropped precipitously.  PF Marvin Reese has been inconsistent, although a 2 month injury may have contributed to that.  PG Willis Lofton, who started last season and was generally productive, has been nearly invisible when he’s come off the bench this season.   SF’s Michael Millford and Earl Betts haven’t been able to provide much help coming off the bench as have guards Jason Dunn, Samuel King and Jon Ray.  The only two reserves that have played well coming in off the bench have been Jason Caldwell and Steve Ross at PF and C.

The Eagles have 5 more road games.  I don’t expect them to win any of those.  They have 6 home games remaining, but they’re only 2-2 at home in the ACC thus far, so home court advantage doesn’t seem to prevail for them.

All-in-all…a dismal outlook toward improving this season.

[LepexYT 0]

Thoughts on MJ now (Michael jordan)