Boston College MBB Blown Out 85-61 by UNC to End Season

Mar 9, 2023 - 2:04 AM

Boston College" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SeQfVk5yGGVMAblRJsKeOonC2is=/0x208:4002x2459/1920x1080/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72053683/usa_today_20176017.0.jpg" />

Boston College was blown out by North Carolina tonight 85-61, ending the Eagles’ season.

After opening the ACC Tournament with a strong 18-point win over dismal Louisville yesterday, Boston College received a huge boost with Quinten Post being declared active in tonight’s contest (although he did not start, similarly to the FSU game).

North Carolina came into this one knowing that they absolutely needed a win to stay alive in the race for a March Madness berth, making them desperate. Boston College came out shooting hot, however. In these teams’ regular season matchup, in which the Eagles fell by 8, the Eagles shot 0-6 from downtown. They canned their first two today, courtesy of Ashton-Langford and McGlockton. For UNC, it was Armando Bacot dominating down low – with McGlockton and Bickerstaff both overmatched by Bacot’s size and physicality, he was able to pick up 6 early points and an offensive rebound.

Earl Grant responded by summoning Post’s 7-foot frame from the bench, but some hot shooting (6-8 from the floor) from UNC allowed the Tarheels to jump out to a 15-10 lead at the first media TO. But coming out of the break, Caleb Love drilled a three and all of a sudden BC found themselves on their heels. The defense simply could not force a stop, as UNC scored 11 straight while the Eagles failed to score for almost 5 minutes.

It was Zackery who finally ended the drought with a nice reverse layup, but BC could not defend UNC’s shooters. The Tarheels hit 4 of their first 7 triples (and 7-13 in the first half), allowing them to build a 26-14 advantage in the first 10 minutes of the game. BC’s defense simply could not produce a stop, between Bacot banging down low and UNC’s guards shooting the lights out from outside. Grant switched to a zone in an effort to get some stops, but with 7 minutes left in the first half UNC had already racked up 33 points, with a 17 point lead.

While nearly everything had gone right for UNC through 16 minutes, unfortunately Armando Bacot came down and twisted his ankle. He immediately headed for the locker room. UNC remained in firm control, however, with a 16 point lead with 3:59 to play in the first half. Without Bacot guarding him, Post finally began to find a rhythm. He got a layup to go over Nance, before stepping into a clean trey at the top of the key. The defense continued to struggle, however. While the offense was able to chip away somewhat, BC still headed to the locker room down 43-29 needing a massive second-half effort for any chance at a win.

Bacot returned to the court for UNC to start the second half, and he scored an easy layup to strike first. The Tarheels kept their foot on the gas pedal, pushing their lead to 19 and not letting up. They took their largest lead of the game following a Caleb Love triple, forcing an Earl Grant TO after going down by 24. The Eagles just got outclassed – offensively and defensively, Carolina simply outplayed them. Mason Madsen scored six straight points for the Eagles to cut the deficit to 21, but Earl Grant’s squad just looked like they had given up. With 4:25 left, a Makai triple brought BC within 19 in his last collegiate game. But in disappointing fashion, Boston College ended their season by a score of 85-61.