Boston College vs. Central Connecticut: Preview and Predictions
Boston College wraps up the out of of conference home game of the regular season as they take on the Central Connecticut Blue Devils at 1pm. Given the struggles of the Blue Devils, who sit at 0-9 this shouldn't be much of a challenge for Boston College
Time: 1:00pm
Where: Conte Forum, Boston College
TV: ACC Network X
Radio: WEEI 93.7
Opening Line: BC -23.5
Starting Five:
Ken Pom Rankings: CCSU (350) Boston College (127)
Key Matchup: Jamir Coleman vs. Derryck Thornton
CCSU is going to need a miracle to win their first game of the year, as the Eagles while not great are still a vastly superior team to the Blue Devils. If they want to stand toe to toe with BC they are going to need to score buckets quickly, and the guy that is going to need to do it is Jamir Coleman. Against UMass-Lowell, Coleman had 27 points in the losing effort. If he could catch fire and drop 35-40 points that would be the only way I could see CCSU sticking around in this game.
The Opponent
The Blue Devils are a team in rough shape to start the season, dropping all nine games to start the season. They've played two power conference opponents and dropped both handily to Arizona State and St. Johns, but have also been blown out by UVM, UMass and Hartford. If Boston College drops this game, it would go down as one of the worst upsets during the Jim Christian era.
Coached the last three seasons by former NBA player Donyell Marshall, CCSU still hasn't turned the corner with a winning record. Last year the Blue Devils went 11-20, and 5-13 in the NEC.
Three Questions Heading Into This Game:
1. Can The Eagles Put Them Away Early? Against Albany earlier this week, Boston College struggled in the first half, falling behind at halftime. As BC only has Cal left on it's schedule before the meat of the ACC schedule starts, it would be great to see them put this away early.
2. Can We Get More From CJ Felder? Filling in for Nik Popovic was always going to be a tall task for Felder, but he only played 12 minutes, went 1-7 from the floor and fouled out. A little more consistency would be a step in the right direction.
3. Should BC use Rishwain even more or would he be exposed? Jay Heath has been getting the starting minutes, but Rishwain has proven to be a shooter coming off the bench that can hit buckets. What would he look like if he started or had an expanded role. CCSU would be a great team to test this out.
AJ's Prediction: Boston College 78 CCSU 52. I am always wary to feel confident picking a blow out with this program, but CCSU is easily the worst team the Eagles have faced all year. They put this one away early.
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