The Boston College Eagles (6-1) men’s basketball team defeated the Boise State Broncos (5-2) 63-61 on Tuesday night to win the Cayman Islands Classic Championship.
The Eagles played three games in three days and recorded wins over Old Dominion and Missouri State as well as the Broncos.
Some parts weren’t pretty, but Boston College found a way to come out on top and showed a lot about itself as a team.
Below are three takeaways from the classic.
Team Can Handle Adversity
Boston College’s road to a title wasn’t the easiest by any means. After a dominant 82-52 win over Old Dominion on Sunday night, the team was put to the test against Missouri State in the semifinals on Monday which took two three-pointers in the final seconds of the second half and overtime to come out on top. The Eagles found themselves down two points with 1:39 left in the regulation and down as many as six in overtime but found a way to come back and win.
In the championship game against Boise State, Boston College did not have a lead until the final 2:07 of the first half. As much as the Broncos fought back, the Eagles proved they could handle themselves. They went on two big runs in the contest, one in each half, battled back anytime they got behind, and made a clutch shot in a high pressure moment. Boston College’s pair of come from behind wins at a neutral site showed that it can handle any adversity brought its way.
Still Have a Lot to Work On
Like the beginning of the young season, the Eagles time in the tournament was not pretty. Even though Boston College came out victorious, there are a lot of things the team needs to work on. Some of the biggest include not giving up leads, fouls, and turnovers. In their final two games, the Eagles had to battle back from adversity because they blew leads in both contests.
In the semifinals, Boston College recorded 14 turnovers and 19 fouls which included forward Elijah Strong’s foul with 29 seconds to go in regulation that gave Missouri State a 64-61 lead and made the Eagles need a three. The finals were worse as they recorded 18 turnovers and 20 fouls.
Boston College’s schedule gets harder as the team hosts Dartmouth on Friday and South Carolina on Dec. 3, then opens ACC play with a road game against Wake Forest on Dec. 7. The Eagles showed they have the talent to potentially be conference contenders this year, but have a lot to work on to get to that point.
This Team is Better Than Expected
After only retaining seven players from last season’s roster, there were a lot of questions surrounding how this Boston College team would look this season. Eight new players joined the program, four out of the transfer portal and four freshmen, so the predictions weren’t promising. The Eagles were projected to finish in last place in the ACC men’s preseason poll. Now, they are sitting at 6-1 and although they have yet to play a Power 6 team, no one could’ve asked for a better start from them.
