Takeaways from the Eagles’ Missed Opportunity at Louisville
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher
Earl Grant conceded after Wednesday night’s loss at Louisville that sometimes outside shots won’t fall. That certainly was the case at the KFC Yum! Center, where Boston College men’s basketball went 4-of-20 from beyond the arc. But the first-year Eagles head coach maintained that his team’s 3-point shooting woes weren’t the reason why they lost.
“It was more the execution and finishing around the rim,” Grant said. “And then—just in a timely manner, in the middle of the second half, in the guts of the game—just getting those stops that we needed. I thought we gave ’em a couple of easys, we broke down defensively and then they made those threes.”
Louisville made five 3-pointers in the second half and capitalized on seven Eagles turnovers in the period to pull away for a 67-54 victory, snapping its three-game losing streak.
Here are a few takeaways from BC’s defeat.
Makai Ashton-Langford has taken his game up a notch this season: The veteran guard is playing the best basketball of his career. Sure, he still has some erratic turnovers, but he’s only averaging 0.3 more giveaways per game this season, despite averaging 7.2 more minutes. And while his shot selection often raises eyebrows, he’s posting a career-high 44.2% clip from the field, not to mention that he’s above 30% from downtown on the year (was at 23.5% last season) and converting 76.9% of his free throws.
Ashton-Langford has averaged 14.5 points per game in the Eagles’ last four outings. Before this season, his career high was 20 points. In this four-game span, he’s eclipsed that mark twice, including on Wednesday when he piled up a game-high 22. Ashton-Langford accounted for eight of BC’s 19 field goals and three of the teams’ four 3-pointers. He had self-made 5-0 and 6-0 runs that helped the Eagles close gaps at the end of the first half and beginning of the second.
Free throw shooting was abysmal: This goes for both teams. BC was 12-of-22 from the charity stripe, and Louisville was barely better at 13-of-22. It’s been a problem all season for the Eagles and Cardinals, both of whom rank in the bottom four of the conference in free throw shooting. BC is dead last with a 68.2% conversion rate. Quinten Post was 3-of-6, TJ Bickerstaff was 4-of-7 and DeMarr Langford Jr. was 0-of-2. Incomplete and-ones, empty offensive trips: The Eagles’ struggles at the line are holding back an offense that’s already handcuffed by a limited 3-point shooting lineup.
BC was all over the offensive glass but left points out there: The Eagles kicked off the game with three straight misses on their first possession. It was a lengthy trip made possible by a pair of offensive boards. They finished with 15 rebounds on the offensive glass yet had just 10 second-chance points to show for it. Bickerstaff was the biggest culprit. Although he reached double figures for the first time since the Notre Dame game and registered his second double-double (12 points, 15 rebounds) this season, Grant felt as if the Drexel transfer could have done more with his offensive opportunities.
“I thought he could have finished more around the basket,” Grant said. “Could have been maybe an 18 and 15 night for him. They didn't really have a shot blocker, and I thought he could finish some more baskets. But he played a good game. He played hard. ... So it's been good to see him come back around.”
James Karnik and Brevin Galloway were in foul trouble: Karnik fouled out for the second time in the last four games. Four days removed from logging 17 points and six rebounds at Clemson, the Lehigh transfer lasted 11 minutes of game time before notching his fifth personal. He finished 0-of-3 from the field with three rebounds, two turnovers and one point. Karnik has struggled to stay on the court in BC’s five true road games this year. He’s getting whistled 3.4 times per game in those matchups. The 6-foot-10 center has been at his best when the refs have let things get a bit chippy. That’s when Karnik can use his strength to his advantage, both on the boards and in the paint.
Galloway was nearly silent after his memorable performance at Clemson. The Cardinals did a good job of limiting the sharpshooter’s looks from the perimeter. He picked up two quick fouls in the first half, was called for another personal in the second period and ended up playing just 17 minutes. Galloway was 0-of-5 from the floor. All five of his shots were 3-point attempts.
It was a tale of two halves for BC’s turnover count and 3-point defense: BC was able to hang around throughout the first half because of its ball security, its defense and its rebounding. The Eagles committed just three turnovers, held Louisville to 1-of-7 from deep and logged seven offensive rebounds. Well, in the second half, BC lost “composure and poise,” according to Grant. The Eagles coughed up the rock seven times. They had back-to-back giveaways that led to two straight old-fashioned 3-point plays for Louisville. BC also let Cardinals guards Noah Locke, El Ellis and Mason Faulkner get going from beyond the arc. Louisville was 5-of-11 from distance in the back half of play, gradually extending its lead over BC.
