Florida looked rocky against Army and they won’t have an easy opportunity to figure things out as Thursday night at 9:30 ET they’re set to take on the Boston College Eagles. While they’ve largely been at the basement of the ACC in recent memory this year’s Boston College team has looked strong despite taking a 1-2 record into their meeting with Florida. Their opening game came against Villanova, a team that many people have predicted going to the Final Four, and they played them close until the final minutes. Then they took on a sneaky good Rhode Island club that’s predicted to finish at the top of the Atlantic 10 with the Eagles coming away with a victory. Lastly they played St. John’s and lost in a 97-93 shootout, though it was anybody’s game. While their record might not look stunning the Eagles have shown the ability to score at a high level and confuse opponents on the defensive end and they could present serious trouble to the Gators who didn’t exactly look comfortable against Army in their first game of the season.
The Eagles are led by junior guard Wyston Tabbs, a physical 6’2” 195 pounds who has been getting whatever he wants offensively through three games. Not much of an outside shooter, he’s a player with a great first step who can get by his defender and create layup opportunities. Villanova, Rhode Island, and St John’s all had major issues trying to keep him out of the paint and Florida is likely going to join that list. The Gators struggled to contain Army’s shorter, physical guards and in a lot of ways Tabbs is a lot like those players except probably a little bit better.
While Tabbs isn’t a great shooter he often gets driving lanes made possible by the spacing of Steffon Mitchell and CJ Felder. Both are 6’8” forwards that have shot above 42% from three so far this season and their shooting ability at their size has drawn shot blockers out of the paint and allowed Tabbs and Boston College’s other perimeter players to get to the hoop. Boston College’s backcourt doesn’t have great shooters, so Mitchell and Felder have important roles providing the outside shooting you typically get from your shorter players.
When it’s not Tabbs knifing towards the rim Jay Heath and Makai Ashton-Langford are taking their turns attacking. Boston College’s offense has these guards coming off of curls and attacking downhill and if one of them gets stopped they simply reverse the basketball and allow their backcourt mate to attack a closeout, all while the stretchy bigs stay on the perimeter and draw out defenders. Ashton-Langford is the best passer of the group, though he only averages 2.7 assists per game. Boston College isn’t a team that gets a lot of catch and shoot opportunities or drop off passes to bigs, they largely score on straight line drives to the hoop when defenses finally succumb to the constant barrage of drives.
Another element of Boston College’s attack that will be fascinating to watch is their dedication to pushing the ball in transition. Over 26% of their shots have come on the fast break this year, leading the way in all of college basketball so far in this young season. Boston College knows their strengths and their weaknesses, and their strengths are driving the basketball and scoring at the hoop. To generate shots in the paint they play fast, pushing the ball and trying to get players to the rim before a defense can set up. Given their shooting limitations, half court offense doesn’t always come easily for Boston College but they thrive in the fast break and getting as many shots as possible on the run is a wise strategy for them. Florida had some shaky moments guarding in transition against Army and that element of their defense is going to be tested in a major way against Boston College.
Defensively, Boston College is also going to throw a curveball at the Gators that has a chance to confuse, frustrate, and generally annoy them. They play an amoeba-like zone defense that is tough to prepare for, especially on short notice which the Gators will have. Depending on where the ball is on the floor, the zone morphs from a 2-3 to a 3-2 look. Because of the changing front it can be difficult to attack and a large part of the effectiveness of the zone is largely due to the element of surprise and confusion. St. John’s was able to figure it out and when they did they got a countless number of open looks against it.
When it’s working at its best it’s due to the play of Steffon Mitchell and CJ Felder who both are active forwards who can move their feet and use their length to clog up passing lanes. Both are also effective shot blockers, adding a last line of defense should anyone break open the zone and try to get an easy look.
How the Gators choose to attack the zone will be a key element of the game to watch. Florida diced up zones last year, playing much more effectively against them than they did against man defense and while the personnel has changed a bit they might be more comfortable against a zone than they would be against man right now. This could be a big game for Colin Castleton who might have a key role standing in the top of the zone. Castleton has shown the ability to score off a few dribbles and make the right read to pass to shooters while at Michigan and he could be just what the Gators need to be effective against the zone. If he catches it in the middle of the defense he’ll put immense pressure on them, particularly due to the fact he’ll have a huge length advantage over Boston College’s front court.
The Gators also struggled to hit threes against Army and knowing that Boston College might condense their zone even more. Florida would love to shoot their way out of the zone but there isn’t a big indication they’ll be able to do that, though at any point someone like Noah Locke could come alive and string together a few makes that leave Boston College scrambling.
An X-factor on Boston College’s roster to be aware of is freshman DeMarr Langford. He’s a 6’5”, 195 pound wing who has only been used seldomly so far through three games but has shown flashes of brilliance. Just looking at him you can tell he’s a player, looking physically developed and long, showing fluid athleticism and explosiveness in transition. Langford has the look of an NBA player and on a team that lacks perimeter size he brings length that they desperately need. He could see more of a role against Florida for that reason, so he’s a player to be aware of.
From a Florida standpoint this game will be all about getting their footing under them and playing with confidence from the opening tip. Against Army the team played with an air of nervousness from the opening tip and when Army took the lead there was a “here we go again” feel in the collective body language. In that game they were able to claw their way back and come away with a win but if they get in a hole against Boston College they may not have the same opportunity to come back.
From a schematic standpoint the Gators will need to tighten up their transition defense. When Boston College secures a defensive rebound the Gators need to match up early and take away driving lanes, because if they leave someone open the Eagles will find them and come away with a layup. Offensively, the Gators will need to have some set plays prepared for the Eagles’ zone. They won’t be able to run their normal stuff against it and if they don’t have a set plan to attack the zone it could be a frustrating offensive outing.
This will be a game that tells us a lot about who the Gators are as a team. A big win could make up a bit for the dud the Gators put up in their opening game, and a loss could spell disaster.