Five Takeaways: Boston College vs. Eastern Washington
It certainly was not pretty, but on Wednesday night, the Boston College men’s basketball team improved to 4-1 after a close victory over Eastern Washington University. It was a fierce battle, but BC was ultimately able to take down the Big Sky Conference favorites.
Here are five takeaways from the contest:
1) Jay Heath is Ready to Contribute as a Freshman
The first-year guard had enjoyed an up-and-down start to his BC Eagles career. After a strong debut against Wake Forest, Heath committed nine turnovers in a rough game against South Florida. It’s expected from a freshman, but Heath had certainly been inconsistent to start the year. However, against EWU, Heath was a constant source of offensive production. He converted on five of his seven three point attempts, on his way to a 17 point performance. Any time the Eagles needed a big shot, it seemed as if Heath answered the call. It’s no secret that the injury to Wynston Tabbs has left BC a little thin offensively, but fortunately it looks like Jay Heath is suited to step in admirably.
2) Jared Hamilton is a Key Player
When Jairus Hamilton originally committed to the Eagles, it seemed as if his older brother, Jared was nothing more than a throw in as part of the package deal. In fact, it was fair to question whether Jared would be able to contribute at all in the ACC. Yet, two years later, Jared is the Hamilton brother making a significant impact. His athleticism and defensive energy is always apparent, but against EWU, Jared provided a crucial 12 points on offense. He also made the game-clinching steal with less than ten seconds to go. Hamilton’s effort and experience has made him a vital part of the team.
3) BC Needs to be More Consistent
After opening the game on a 12-0 run, it looked like BC was well on their way to a blowout win. However, BC slowly let EWU back into the game, and made Wednesday night’s contest far more tense and tight than it should have been. Unfortunately this has been a theme of the Jim Christian era. Far too often, the Eagles have let mid major teams hang in games. Instead of showing a killer instinct and putting the game out of reach early, BC took their foot of the gas. While it did not cost them against EWU, it could easily bite them in the back at another point this season.
4) The Defense is Improved
From a defensive perspective, I think water found its level on Wednesday night. BC’s defense is not as good as it showed when they limited High Point to 33 points, but it’s also not nearly as bad as it looked against Belmont. This year’s Eagles team still has their occasional problems with defensive rotations and guarding the three point line, yet it has a significantly improved level of energy and athleticism. BC won’t be confused with Virginia any time soon, but it is still nice to see improvement on that side of the ball.
5) Nik Popovic has had an Excellent Career
Against EWU, senior forward Nik Popovic scored his 1,000th career point at BC. The big man has displayed tremendous improvement over his time on the Heights. He has blossomed into a very skilled, versatile player on the court and a great leader off of it. Popovic is a great representation of a BC student athlete and deserves to be appreciated for all of his hard work.
Although the EWU game may have been frustrating, it gave BC’s players much needed experience in closing out tight games. We will learn a lot more about this year’s BC team over the next few weeks, but for now it is still reasonable to be encouraged by the Eagles’s start to the season.
