Adaptation: built for one conference, tested in another

The ACC was not an easy adjustment for BC’s basketball team. They lost their first three games in the new conference, including a major letdown at Georgia Tech and getting run out of their own building by NC State. Every observer had an explanation (still trying to find the right rotation, off nights, etc.) but many ACC faithful came up with the rational excuse that BC just wasn’t cut out for the ACC. Ignoring the fact that Al Skinner had built a perennial contender in an equally difficult conference (the Big East) there was something to be said for the difference in styles between the two conferences. BC had to get used to a whole new group of opponents, get used to the faster tempo of the league, adjust to the way ACC games are officiated and acclimate themselves to new hostile environments. Gone were some of the empty arena, quiet road games of the past. Games were going to be much less physical and much more reliant upon great guard play.

Like any good team and program, BC adjusted. Hinnant and Rice improved their ball handling and cut down on reckless turnovers. BC exploited their low post advantage and scored in bunches (just at a faster rate). The end result: an 11-5 conference record and a trip to the ACC Tournament Championship game.

The second result of the conference switch is just an untested theory…soon to be applied. I think this BC team is better prepared for NCAA Tournament success because the core unit has played in two conferences. In the last 18 months this group has faced and beat Villanova, West Virginia, Georgetown and UConn. They bring a confidence that they can take anyone at anytime. Yet the season in the ACC forced them to upgrade their ball handling and take more 3s. These weaknesses are not strengths (yet) but BC’s improvements helped them avoid an early disaster like last season’s UW-Milwaukee game.

No path to the Final Four is smooth, but BC’s path through two different conferences may be the unexpected foundation for a championship.