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Boston College Eagles (2001: 27-5)

The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I teams, be sure to order the 2001-02 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.

Program overview

Al Skinner refuses to consider last year's 27-win, out-of-nowhere, surprise-'em-all, defy-the-experts, reinvigorate-the-program season anything other than the obvious next step in his regime and the expected outcome of his players.

Once the Eagles started the year 11-0, the shock was gone, and BC was expected to receive the same notice and consideration as any other big-conference power.

And after the final bell rang, and Boston College had fallen to Southern California in the NCAA Tournament, there was no talk about overcoming expectations this coming season, as opposed to sneaking up on people, as some (not Skinner) thought the Eagles did last year.

While Boston College has the potential to be formidable again, it isn't operating under the illusion that it will simply overwhelm people with superior talent. While the Eagles have some top-flight players, most notably guard Troy Bell, they can't pile on the high school All-Americas and win with pure ability.

"Everybody accepted their roles last year," Skinner said. "We hadn't been in an environment before [17 wins in the previous two seasons; 32 in the three before last year] where we were very successful, and the guys wanted to change that. They did everything they had to be successful.

"They sacrificed to win. The players were more open with each other. Sometimes people get defensive, but there wasn't any of that. We were at the bottom, and we couldn't be too sensitive about things. Everybody was open to constructive criticism."

That was great last year. But BC has now fed at the victory trough and pushed away with a full belly. The Eagles won the Big East's East Division. They won the conference tournament. They made it back to the NCAA show. Can a team that accomplished so much last year again be selfless? Does it have to?

Projected starters

PG - Troy Bell (6-1, 171 lbs., JR, #2, 20.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.7 spg, 34.2 minutes, .459 FG, .391 3PT, .857 FT, Academy of Holy Angels/Minneapolis, Minn.)

There is no way the Eagles even sniff success without Bell, who has been tremendous his first two years with the program and should continue to improve.

An excellent all-around player who can score, get others involved, shoot well from all over the place and apply significant defensive pressure, Bell is on the verge of making a big national breakthrough.

It's hard to believe Bell -- a third-team preseason All-American pick by Blue Ribbon -- isn't ready for the challenge. He's capable of some mammoth scoring outputs, as his 32-point effort against Southern California in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament proved.

Bell had nine other games in which he scored 25 or more. He's tough to guard, because he penetrates so well but can also drill it from deep. As a result, Bell takes a lot of free throws, often in clumps of three, after someone fouls him on a shot from behind the arc.

SG - Ryan Sidney (6-2, 195 lbs., SO, #5, 9.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.7 spg, 22.2 minutes, .490 FG, .275 3PT, .567 FT, Pioneer HS/Ann Arbor, Mich.)

After watching Sidney's strong debut, fans of Michigan and Michigan State are no doubt wondering why their teams didn't recruit the wing more diligently. Sidney was a high-energy, open-court player who excelled in full-court defensive sets and was practically impossible to stop off the dribble.

Sidney now moves into the starting two spot, barring an insurrection by freshman Jermaine Watson, and should be even more dangerous. After a relatively slow start, save a 12-point effort in the opener against St. Peter's, Sidney demonstrated his skills in Big East play, scoring in double figures 11 times, with an 18-point effort at Connecticut and twin 17-pointers against Villanova and Providence the highlights.

SF - Kenny Walls (6-5, 194 lbs., SR, #21, 7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.7 spg, 22.6 minutes, .395 FG, .307 3PT, .800 FT, Galileo HS/San Francisco, Calif.)

This is a big year for Walls, who struggled with tendinitis in his right knee last year and had sporadic success. He'll need to improve a shooting eye that has been somewhat wayward the past couple years. Walls has excellent athletic skills and could be a big contributor.

Walls had a pretty good second half of the season. He scored 16 against Villanova, 15 against West Virginia and 10 in the first-round NCAA game against Southern Utah. If healthy, Walls can be an active rebounder and a good defender.

PF - Brian Ross (6-8, 240 lbs., SR, #45, 2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.3 apg, 9.0 minutes, .525 FG, .462 FT, North Quincy HS/North Quincy, Mass.)

Here's another key to the Eagles' success. Ross must be able to replicate his strong freshman and sophomore seasons, when he appeared to be on the verge of making a major contribution. Last year, he was nagged by back and foot problems that prohibited him from playing to his potential.

Ross is not quick, but he is big and could be a strong positional rebounder, particularly against the bigger teams on the BC schedule. He scores well close to the basket and actually can step behind the line to hit some long-range shots. If healthy, he'll be a factor.

PF - Uka Agbai (6-8, 245 lbs., JR, #00, 9.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.7 apg, 25.8 minutes, .530 FG, .684 FT, Archbishop Molloy HS/Queens Village, N.Y.)

As the sole interior weapon for the Eagles last year, Agbai had some pretty heavy responsibilities. He had to handle just about all the major defensive work against enemy big men, hold down the rebounding fort when said tall fellows crashed and provide the BC perimeter army with some interior support. Simple, eh?

Not really. That's why Agbai's numbers aren't so great. At least, that's what Skinner says. He believes that had Agbai not had to occupy so many opponents inside, he could have scored and boarded more.

Agbai is pretty quick, despite his heft. He shoots pretty well from the field, although his numbers fell off in Big East play, when opponents crowded him, and he was facing a steady diet of taller pivots. He'll be effective again, but it's unlikely he'll become a huge point producer.

Key reserves

G - Jermaine Watson (6-3, 190 lbs., FR, #4, 28.5 ppg, 5.0 apg, Tabor (Mass.) Academy/Thayer (Mass.) Academy/Lincoln-Sudbury HS/Dorchester, Mass.)

Some might look at Watson as this year's version of Sidney, but he's a different kind of player. The combination guard shots it a little better than Sidney and can handle more work at the point. But there are similarities.

Watson finished with more than 2,000 career points during his three prep stops and played in the Capital Classic and Pittsburgh Hoops Classic last spring. Expect him to get about 20 minutes a game at both guard spots and add plenty to the BC rotation.

Bottom line

Good college teams need good guards, and that's why Boston College was successful last year. If Watson steps up and Walls plays the way he can, then BC should enjoy more prosperity this year, because its pressure defense and up-tempo offensive style are conducive to thriving in the Big East.

Bell is the star, and Skinner finds plenty of ways for him to score. Bell helps out, too, by setting up his teammates and playing the kind of defense that leads to easy baskets. He and Sidney should be a dynamic backcourt combination, with Walls a worthy wing and Watson a strong complementary part off the bench.

We all know Agbai carries a big load up front. He hopes to have some help this year from Ross and Bryant, while the two big newcomers will likely make sporadic contributions, depending a lot on who the opposition is.

The bottom line is that this is a good team. Boston College probably won't win 27 games again, but the Eagles are threats to win the Big East's East Division and should grab another NCAA Tournament berth.

That's what the players came to do, and after a couple tough seasons, they're doing it.