Behind Enemy Lines: Five Questions For SI BC Bulletin

A.J. Black of SI's BC Bulletin answers five questions about Sunday's basketball game between NC State and Boston College

Neil Redmond/USAToday sports

As NC State and Boston College get ready to meet on the basketball court in a game the Wolfpack absolutely has to win to avoid damaging its NCAA tournament homes, SI All Wolfpack caught up with its counterpart for the Eagles, A.J. Black, to get some advance intel on what to expect.

You can follow A.J. on Twitter at @BostonCollegeSI for all your BC information and news leadin up to the game.

Here's how A.J. answered five questions about the Eagles heading into the matchup at Conte Forum:

SI All Wolfpack: This is the kind of game, favored on the road in what is virtually a must-win situation, that NC State has traditionally lost. What does BC have to do to bounce back from a dismal performance at Miami and take advantage of the Wolfpack’s history?

SI BC Bulletin: In order for BC to win this game they need to play their game. That seems simplistic, but against Miami the game got away from them quickly, offensively and defensively. On defense they allowed transition points and easy layups something they usually don't do. And on offense the Eagles started falling behind and resorted to three point shots, which given BC's struggles from beyond the arc was a recipe for disaster. BC needs to play solid defense, make NC State work for their baskets, and get to the hoop on offense.

AW: How big of an impact has former Duke point guard Deryck Thornton made for the Eagles this season?

BCB: Thornton has been a solid contributor this year. He has had moments on offense where he has been the top scorer for the Eagles, but that has been inconsistent. However, on defense he has been very good, playing tight defense against some good guards this year. On top of all that, he has been a leader on this team and his energy and style has become contagious for some of the younger players like Jay Heath. Without Thornton, this team would most likely be near the bottom of the ACC.

AW: Will the Eagles try to run with the Wolfpack or would they prefer a slower, lower-scoring game?

BCB: BC is going to need to slow this game down. The games where the Eagles try to run with teams are the games they get blown out (see Miami). BC needs to settle into their offense and try to slow down NC State as well.

AW: Like the Wolfpack, the Eagles have been affected by injuries this season. What is BC’s injury situation heading into Sunday's game?

BCB: The flu has been the biggest issue for the Eagles of late, as CJ Felder, Chris Herren Jr., and Jared Hamilton have all missed games the past few weeks due to illness. Hamilton missed the last game due to illness, so he should be the only player to look out for that could miss this game.

AW: How hot is coach Jim Christian’s seat?

BCB: It's not as hot as many Boston College fans think it should be. BC has played pretty well this year, and Christian has them running in the middle of the ACC. On top of that his staff has a really good recruiting class coming in next year with Demarr Langford a Top 100 recruit signed, along with local center Justin Van Der Baan. Langford's brother Makai Ashton Langford, a former 4-star transfer from Providence is also coming next season. On top of all that I have to imagine that BC won't be comfortable to pay for another the same yea after most likely paying a buyout with Steve Addazio's firing early this year. Unless BC completely bottoms out, Christian will have at least one more year at Boston College.