Behind Enemy Lines: A Boston College Basketball Q&A With BC Bulletin's AJ Black
To prepare for tomorrow's game against Boston College, we spoke with AJ Black of SI's BC Bulletin. Make sure to check out his site for all things BC, and follow AJ and his site on Twitter.
Mike McDaniel: I'm so curious about Jim Christian. Every year I feel like Boston College should move on, but then he rattles off a bunch of wins in the non-conference to temporarily cool his hot seat before ACC play.
With BC playing okay basketball at points earlier this year, but now struggling in conference play, what does it mean for Jim Christian moving forward? Could this finally be the year that the Eagles cut bait?
AJ Black: BC didn't really play good basketball early this year, they had losses to Northwestern, St. Louis, Richmond and DePaul before the meat of the conference schedule even started. The rest of the year will kind of dictate where BC goes next. I strongly believe that the AD Martin Jarmond will only make a move if he knows of candidates that will immediately improve the program.
He knows that BC's facilities in terms of basketball are subpar so he would need to bring a homerun in to bring up the program. If BC can somehow make the NIT, which would involve really improving in all aspects of their game, that would be the only court way I could see BC holding on to Jim Christian. His career numbers are so poor, especially against the ACC.
Mike McDaniel: In April of 2018, Christian signed a contract extension. How was that received among the fan base?
AJ Black: Not well. I think what fans don't understand is that a lot of these extensions are made solely for recruiting purposes. Recruits want a coach that they think will be around, not one that is hoping for a strong season to save his job.
However, it's hard to shake the optics that these extensions are "rewards", which then results in fans griping and feeling like the school doesn't care about the results on the court. Because BC is a private school, we won't see the buyout number, which I believe is the most important number on that contract.
If it is a small number then an extension really is meaningless, but if it's big and makes it hard for BC to get out from under, then it could be a problem.
Mike McDaniel: Boston College is shooting under 30% from three as a team, how much has that hampered the offensive ceiling this season in your opinion?
AJ Black: BC's offense has been near the bottom in the country all year, and the three point challenges has been a major reason why. When center Nik Popovic went down with a back injury, BC was forced to rely on their guard play and perimeter shooting. They lacked any presence inside, so they stuck to the three pointers, which weren't falling.
When the cold shooting commences, BC goes anywhere from 3-6 minutes in a game without scoring a point. These droughts have been a deciding factor in almost every loss so far.
Mike McDaniel: The X-factor for Boston College is ____________.
AJ Black: Jay Heath. True freshman who can be a scorer when he is feeling it. Against UVA he was lethal from the floor, but like many true non-blue chip freshmen he has his ups and downs. If he is playing strong, he could be tough for VT to defend.
Mike McDaniel: Boston College will win if ___________________.
AJ Black: They can get the ball inside and establish some sort of inside game that can consistently work for forty minutes. Against Pitt the Eagles were able to get the ball inside to Popovic on the pick and roll, which also opened up better looking three point shots.
BC went up big at this point. But then PItt adjusted their defense, took away the interior game and BC went ice cold. If BC can adjust they have a much better chance of scoring points and keeping the game close.
Mike McDaniel: Virginia Tech will win if _____________________.
AJ Black: They force BC to take shots from the perimeter. As mentioned multiple times the Eagles are a poor three point shooting team. If BC can not get the ball inside, VT should easily win this game.
