BC vs. Clemson (ACC Tournament): Preview and Prediction

The ACC Tournament enters the second day, and the Clemson Tigers (8-22, 3-15 ACC) take on the Boston College Eagles (18-11, 11-7 ACC) tonight at 8pm in Greensboro, NC. With ACC Coach of the Year Joanna Bernabei McNamee leading the way, BC has had a historic turn around, grabbing the 6th spot in the ACC. Clemson on the other hand has had a tough year, but pulled off a big win yesterday defeating Miami in the first round of the tournament.

Time: 8:00 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
TV: ACCNX
Radio: N/A
Last Time They Faced Off: BC 70 Clemson 68

Required Reading: Dan Rubin's Preview of the Game

Key Player: Taylor Soule

The ACC's Most Improved Player has been an absolute force for the Eagles, most recently scoring 26 points against the Syracuse Orange. A big physical player, her play down low, and her quickness with the ball make her incredibly difficult to guard. Against Clemson early in February she was only held to seven points, but her game as gone to a whole new level in that month. If she can dominate, Boston College should be able to control this game and move into the next round of the tournament.

Three Key Factors In This Game

1. Contain Kobi Thornton: The Lady Tigers star scored 27 points yesterday against Miami and was the biggest factor in the win. A big 6'2 forward, she most likely will draw either Emma Guy or Soule, who will have to play good defense to slow her down.

2. Continue to play great offense: BC had one of the better offenses in the country this year, ranked 42nd in scoring (71.2 points per game). If they can keep that offense humming, they shouldn't have much of a problem against Clemson.

3. Limit Turnovers: The achilles heel of this BC team has been the turnovers. They currently are 276th in the country in turnovers given up. Against Clemson they had 19, and it almost cost them the game and made nail biter out of a game that shouldn't have been close on paper. Playing a cleaner game should help the Eagles tremendously.

AJ's Fearless Prediction: Boston College 73 Clemson 60. The Eagles are rolling, playing the best basketball of the season, while Clemson had lost eleven in a row before they defeated Miami. I don't see that win building momentum for the Lady Tigers, and the Eagles should easily win this game.