PLAYER: Deirunas Visockas
POSITION: Shooting Guard
TEAM: Boston College
YEAR: Senior (Graduate Transfer)
TAPE: 6-5, 200

2010-11 STATS: None

DEEP THOUGHTS:
A mystery man if there ever was one – Deirunas Visockas is the second of four transfers on this list, and the first of two graduate-transfers to make the top-100.

Visockas is a skilled ball handler, who has the potential to put the ball on the floor. From time to time he can hit a jumper, but I wouldn’t call him a threat. He comes to Boston College via Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, but he hasn’t seen any action in over two years because of knee and foot injuries.

Hard to believe he’s ACC material, yet Steve Donahue went and got him. Why?

The fact is, despite only playing 31 games at Lafayette, the Lithuanian native will be the Eagles fourth most experienced player (behind Gabriel Moton, Danny Rubin and incoming transfer Matthew Humphrey). The only other players on BC’s roster will be their eight freshmen.

My best guess (and that’s all it is) is that Humphrey gets the start as a third guard, while freshmen Eddie Odio and Lonnie Jackson will be the primary backups at SF/SG. This leaves Visockas fighting for playing time with another freshman wing, Patrick Heckmann. Time will tell if Visockas “experience” wins out.

Here are Visockas’ high school highlights:

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No 1. NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels are not just the number one team in the ACC, they are the clear number one team in the land. They return everybody that matters, including potential All-American Harrison Barnes. You could argue that the Tar Heels have not only the best small forward (Barnes) in the conference, but also the top point guard (Marshall), best center (Zeller) and best power forward (Henson). While I wouldn’t label Strickland the top SG, he’s still pretty effective.

If you’re looking for any kind of weakness, maybe we could talk about frontcourt depth, but let’s be honest, incoming freshman James McAdoo will probably be better than Justin Knox. Anything short of a national championship will be a disappointment for this team.

No. 2 DUKE
The Blue Devils are stunningly deep next season, to the point where I have no idea how Coach K is going to handle it. Hell, their incoming freshman class (Cook, Rivers, Gbinije, Murphy and Marshall Plumlee) could all start and still finish second in the ACC. Assuming Austin Rivers is as good as advertised, then Duke is looking like a solid 2-seed (potential one) in the NCAA Tournament.

However, if they’re looking to remain the top dogs of the ACC over UNC, then the Plumlee brothers (I’m talking about Miles and Mason) need to step up their games. They are the keys to any late push into March.

No. 3 MIAMI
This is where things get hazy. The ACC is clearly North Carolina/Duke and then everyone else. The popular third pick will be the Seminoles, but I’m going to shake things up and put the Hurricanes up to three. I really think Jim Larranaga is going to improve this veteran team.

The fact is, I love their “Big Three” of Malcolm Grant, Durant Scott and big man Reggie Johnson. I’m especially excited to see Johnson in the middle. I think the 300-pound center will play like an All-ACC player next season.

No. 4 FLORIDA STATE
The Seminoles lost their two top players in Singleton and Kitchen. Don’t discount how important the pair were. In fact, I would argue Kitchen was the bigger loss, because he’s going to be the toughest to replace.

Ian Miller will take over the point guard role, even though his natural skill set is scoring. If he can run the offense and keep the turnovers to a minimum, then I’d probably stick them back up to the three spot in the ACC. I just suspect he’s going to be sizzle some days and fizzle others.

In the end though, Hamilton’s team has always been about the defense and that won’t change. Okaro White, Bernard James and Xavier Gibson will again make life difficult in the paint for just about everybody.

No. 5 CLEMSON
You have to hand it to Coach Brownell, he has a strategy…although I’m not sure what it is. With the addition of five new freshman (all should be coming off the bench in 2011-2012), the Tigers might have the most athletic team in the ACC. However, Clemson will probably be the worst shooting team in league as well.

Three things need to happen for Clemson to head back to the NCAA Tournament. First, Andre Young needs to stop jacking up threes and be a Kendal Marshall-type facilitator. Second, Devin Booker needs to become a finisher inside like his brother and third, Milton Jennings needs to show us why he was a McDonald’s All-American. (more…)

As exciting as that write was though, today is a new day and it’s time to really impress you with part two. Impressed yet? You shouldn’t be, I haven’t even started yet.

Wednesday, December 1st

Purdue @ Virginia Tech
The Hokies and Boilermakers will face off first the first time in this challenge. Virginia Tech has only played in five of these so far, but they’ve managed to take three of the five. Purdue has never really proven itself in this challenge. They’re only 3-6, including an 0-4 mark on the road. In fact, they are one of three teams (Michigan and Iowa are the other two) that have never won on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Purdue got off to a nice start to the season, winning five straight, before running into Richmond. Of course, like so many teams who start the season undefeated, Purdue hasn’t really played anyone and they really won’t until Big Ten play. Virginia Tech could be their toughest test.

So far, Purdue’s mission has been to find a solid third option with Ronnie Hummel out for the season. The fact is, a threesome is always better than a twosome. I believe I saw that on a video clip I found on the Internet. So far, that mission has not been a success.

E-Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson have combined to score over 37 points per game. That accounts for 47-percent of Purdue’s points. They’ve taken nearly half of the team’s shots. You have to figure that number is going to get worse once the Boilermakers stop playing cream puffs and get into the meat of their schedule.

Speaking of cream puffs, Virginia Tech has been crucified (and left out of the tournament) because of their non-threatening non-conference schedule in the past. This season, Seth Greenberg finally put some steak and potatoes on the schedule, but the problem is, someone has to remind them that they need to actually win one or two of these bad boys.

The problem for the Hokies so far is the fact they have two great guards, but they’re both naturally shooting guards. Both Malcolm Delaney and Dorenzo Hudson can score points (they’re producing over 32 a game right now), but both are struggling to hold on to the ball. Hudson has only 10 assists to 18 turnovers, but Delaney (who is actually playing the point) is worse. He has only 18 assists to 35 turnovers (that’s nearly six a game).

If the Hokies are going to get this ship turned around, there is no better time then a televised game, at home with the crowd going nuts.

WORTHLESS PREDICTION: Virginia Tech, 81-77

North Carolina State @ Wisconsin
These two have never met in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Wisconsin has won three of their last four games in the challenge, including heading Duke its first loss in this challenge last year. North Carolina State has dropped three of four.

The Wolfpack lost Tracy Smith for three weeks to a knee injury and so far, NC State has survived without their senior big man thanks to a balanced effort. In four games, a player has scored in double figures 17 times, yet no one has broken 20 points.

Heading into the season, C.J. Leslie and Ryan Harrow were the two big-named freshman headed to Raleigh, but freshman Lorenzo Brown has been the one getting it done. He leads the team in minutes (31.2), points (12.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.8) and is second in rebounds (5.2).

Wisconsin is off to a slow start, already suffering two loses to UNLV and Notre Dame. Neither defeat was a major upset, but the fact is, the Badgers are desperately looking for a go-to guy, who will take care of business during clutch time.

Against UNLV, the Badgers had a one-point lead with 4:38 to play. While they hit their free throws, they didn’t make a single shot down the stretch (shooting 0-5, turning it over three times).

At Notre Dame, Wisconsin had a nine-point lead with 10 to play. However, they would only hit two more shots the rest of the way before putting in a worthless three with seven seconds to go.

In the end though, the home crowd can get wild in Madison. The big question will be, how will NC State’s freshman handle the crowd and the pressure. My gut says they’ll crack in the end.

WORTHLESS PREDICTION: Wisconsin, 65-60

Indiana @ Boston College
Who would have thought that Boston College is the only undefeated team in this tournament. Sure they’ve only played four games, but that’s still impressive. One team they’ve never played is Indiana, who is only 3-6 in the challenge.

These two teams couldn’t be more opposite. It would be like matching up Paris Hilton with one of the Jonas Brothers. One is stacked with experience, while the other has none.

Of the 14 players on BC’s roster, two are freshman, three are juniors and a stunning nine are seniors. Based solely on games played, there is no more experienced team in the ACC. Yet, no one would bet their first born and say this is a good team.

If you look at just scoring totals, one might think Boston College is struggling to score. They’re averaging just over 67 per game (tied for last with Virginia in the ACC). However, sometimes numbers can lie. The reality is, the Eagles are actually 21st in the nation in AdjO, according to Ken Pom.

New coach Steve Donahue has forced his experienced squad to slow it down a bit and play smart, efficient basketball. The Eagles are fifth in turnover percentage, dishing out 25 more assists than turnovers. They’re also leading the ACC in free throw percentage (77-percent). Most importantly, they’re first in the ACC in scoring defense, giving up just 59 points per game.

Of course Indiana is in the process of a huge youth movement. Last year, Tom Cream’s group produced six wins, stuck playing a ton of freshman. This season, seven of their top eight scorers are either freshman or sophomores, yet they have already equaled their win total from last year.

Defense has been a big difference in 2010-2011. Last year the Hoosiers were last in the Big Ten in scoring defense, but this year they are giving up 16 points less per game. They’ve allowed their opponents to hit just 37-percent of their shots, while they’ve hit just under 50-percent from the floor.

Having said that, Indiana hasn’t really faced a real test so far. Their six opponents are just 14-19 and Indiana has handled them by the tune of 21 per game. At least the Eagles have already been through some competition this year.

WORTHLESS PREDICTION: Boston College, 76-68

(more…)

BOSTON COLLEGE’S 2010-2011 SCHEDULE

When Texas A&M is your toughest non-conference opponent, then strength of schedule isn’t one your goals heading into the season. Yet, that’s the case for Boston College.

Am I being a bit harsh? Probably. It’s not like they’re a bunch of cupcakes. The first three (St. Francis, Yale and Holy Cross) should all be wins for this veteran team.

They head into the Old Spice Classic in Orlando where they’ll meet those Aggies from Texas. If they can win that game, then they could end up face-to-face with a solid Wisconsin team, who will be taking on Manhattan. The tournament also features Georgia, Notre Dame, Temple and California.

December starts off with the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, where they’ll face an Indiana team that’s won only 16 games over the last two years.

They open up ACC play on December 12, visiting Maryland. That game is sandwiched between some less than stellar teams likes UMass, Providence, the Bryant Bulldogs (who?) and Bucknell.

The Eagles two final non-conference foes may be lesser foes, but both could easily be defeats. They travel to Rhode Island to take on the Rams, then welcome Harvard. Coach Tommy Amaker’s boys have owned B.C. of late, winning their last two.

Boston College catches a small break in conference play. They play Duke and North Carolina only once. However, they have a brutal four-game stretch smack in the middle of ACC play.

On January 22, the Eagles head to Florida State, followed by a trip to Durham to face the defending national champs Duke, followed by a home date against North Carolina and Virginia Tech. All four teams will probably be ranked.

Ironically, Boston College takes on Wake Forest only once all season and it will be the last game of the season. Yes, I know that’s not technically ironic, but it’s still a weird. (more…)

He does list a bunch of schools that Rivers could end up at. In my opinion he has too many. Hell, he has Boston College on there. Sorry Eagles’ faithful. The only way this kid ever plays basketball in the city of Boston is if the Celtics draft him.

I’m still picking Duke.

With so much turnaround in college basketball, incoming freshman are having a huge impact on ACC basketball. One failed class can set a program back for years. One amazing get can save a coaches job (I’m looking at you Sidney Lowe).

So the question that’s be proposed is, which ACC school has the best incoming class in 2010? But before I attempt to answer this and rank these schools, let me just say now…doing this is nearly impossible.

It’s bad enough these rankings are based on players I’ve barely seen play (and in some cases, haven’t seen at all). Secondly, what really makes a great class?

Maryland has six players coming in, while North Carolina only has three. Now go to any recruitment web site and everyone will have the Tar Heels higher. Why? Because their players are five-star recruits, while Maryland only has one four-star.

Yet, if one of Carolina’s players leaves after one year, a second one leaves after two, all while Maryland’s group stays four years and helps the Terps to more winning seasons and maybe an ACC title or two down the road…how could North Carolina’s class be better then?

You get my point? These predictions and rankings are quite simply a guess. Sure it’s an educated guess, but in the end, it’s still a guess. Just remember that when you go to rip me and wish death upon my family members.

Over the next 12 days, we’ll drop one team in your lap. Today, we’ll be starting at the bottom. This decision was actually an easy one.

BOSTON COLLEGE 2010-2011 FRESHMAN

• None

It’s been a rough start for new head coach Steve Donahue. He takes two steps into Chestnut Hill and not only does Al Skinner leave the recruitment cupboard empty, three current players (Brady Heslip, Rakim Sanders and Evan Ravenel) decide to wave goodbye.

At this time, it looks like there will be no one coming in this season, although Eagle Insider still has PG Jay Harris and SG Brandon Burnett listed as “Prospects.”

Listen, for any coach it’s always tough to walk in and recruit. Hell, most new coaches struggle just to keep current commits committed. Yet, I’m surprised Donahue hasn’t delivered anyone. The fact is, Boston College’s 2010-2011 roster features six seniors. Add in those transfers and starting in 2011, the Eagles have only four scholarship players, none lower than a junior.

Meaning? There’s playing time to offer. Yet, no one is biting…at least this year. The same can’t be said for the 2011 class. Coach Donahue has already landed three players, including 280-pound center, Kyle Caudill.

Of course we’ll talk about that next year at this time.

This article was first printed at ACC Airball. Check it out, what are you afraid of?

With so much turnaround in college basketball, incoming freshman are having a huge impact on ACC basketball. One failed class can set a program back for years. One amazing get can save a coaches job (I’m looking at you Sidney Lowe).

So the question that’s be proposed is, which ACC school has the best incoming class in 2010? But before I attempt to answer this and rank these schools, let me just say now…doing this is nearly impossible.

It’s bad enough these rankings are based on players I’ve barely seen play (and in some cases, haven’t seen at all). Secondly, what really makes a great class?

Maryland has six players coming in, while North Carolina only has three. Now go to any recruitment web site and everyone will have the Tar Heels higher. Why? Because their players are five-star recruits, while Maryland only has one four-star.

Yet, if one of Carolina’s players leaves after one year, a second one leaves after two, all while Maryland’s group stays four years and helps the Terps to more winning seasons and maybe an ACC title or two down the road…how could North Carolina’s class be better then?

You get my point? These predictions and rankings are quite simply a guess. Sure it’s an educated guess, but in the end, it’s still a guess. Just remember that when you go to rip me and wish death upon my family members.

Over the next 12 days, we’ll drop one team in your lap. Today, we’ll be starting at the bottom. This decision was actually an easy one.

BOSTON COLLEGE 2010-2011 FRESHMAN

• None

It’s been a rough start for new head coach Steve Donahue. He takes two steps into Chestnut Hill and not only does Al Skinner leave the recruitment cupboard empty, three current players (Brady Heslip, Rakim Sanders and Evan Ravenel) decide to wave goodbye.

At this time, it looks like there will be no one coming in this season, although Eagle Insider still has PG Jay Harris and SG Brandon Burnett listed as “Prospects.”

Listen, for any coach it’s always tough to walk in and recruit. Hell, most new coaches struggle just to keep current commits committed. Yet, I’m surprised Donahue hasn’t delivered anyone. The fact is, Boston College’s 2010-2011 roster features six seniors. Add in those transfers and starting in 2011, the Eagles have only four scholarship players, none lower than a junior.

Meaning? There’s playing time to offer. Yet, no one is biting…at least this year. The same can’t be said for the 2011 class. Coach Donahue has already landed three players, including 280-pound center, Kyle Caudill.

Of course we’ll talk about that next year at this time.

The latest graduation figures published by the NCAA show that Boston College student-athletes have a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 96 percent Ð second only to Duke University’s 97 percent GSR rating among all Atlantic Coast Conference schools. Wake Forest University was third on the ACC list with a 93 percent GSR.

While the article specifically mentions BC’s men’s baseball team (100%), woman’s basketball team (100%) and the football team (91%), they don’t discuss the basketball team. Maybe the news isn’t as good as I had hoped.

THE BAD NEWS:
Coach Steve Donahue missed out on a recruit, forward – Kameron Woods. The 6’8 combo forward picked the national runner-up Butler Bulldogs.

While it would have been nice for the Eagles to land the lengthy forward, Coach Donahue does have three recruits, 6-10 center Dennis Clifford, 6-11 center Kyle Caudill and 6-6 small forward Eddie Odio, already committed in 2011.

After only two seasons at B.C., Jackson has proven to be a solid player for B.C. and when his career is finally over, don’t be surprised to see his name mentioned with the likes of Jared Dudley and Tyrese Rice.

Last year he was 15^th in the ACC in scoring (12.9 points per game), 5^th in assists (4.5 per game), 19^th in rebounds (5.7 per game) and a solid 8^th in assist/turnover ratio (1.74).

When you watch Reggie Jackson play, you can’t help but be in awe of his athletic gifts. Although he may not be the fastest cat on the floor, he moves his feet well and it doesn’t hurt that the 6’3 guard has a seven-foot wingspan.

Even though he entered college with questionable ball-handling skills, Jackson has shown a knack for getting the ball inside with the dribble penetration. He can dunk with the best of them, displaying a floater that is second only to Duke’s Nolan Smith. He’s also become known for being one of the league’s better defender, again thanks to his length.

Heading into 2010-2011, Reggie Jackson should have a big smile on his face. The fact is, despite producing solid numbers so far in his career, Al Skinner’s conservative flex-offense wasn’t doing Jackson any favors.

With Steve Donahue taking over, no player should benefit more than Reggie.  Boston College’s offense should mirror Cornell’s O from last year. This is the same offense that averaged 83 ppg against defensive teams like Temple and Wisconsin in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Just look at the numbers. (more…)

Last year, the Boston College forward led all Eagles in scoring (13.8ppg) and rebounding (5.8rpg). He earned third-team All-ACC, but I’ll be honest, at times last year he just seemed a little off.

Whether he was battling injuries or illness, Trapani had a tendency to disappear in games and in key moments within the game. In one game he scored 31 against Miami on 20 shots, then follow that up with a six-point effort four days later against Virginia Tech.

At 6’8, 230, Trapani is one of the league’s most versatile players. While he’s not the strongest forward in the league (or the tallest), he’s not afraid to throw some elbows with the big boys. He’s also never been afraid to launch it from outside (145 three-point attempts last year).

With new coach Steve Donahue running the show, the Eagles return one of the most experienced teams in the conference. All five starters return, including the top four scorers and top five rebounds. Point being, Trapani won’t be asked to do too much. The reality is, he should probably take less threes and focus on being a presence inside. Fact is, he shot a solid 49% from two-point range last year.

He’s never going to be the most feared athlete in the league and will actually struggle on the defensive end against superior athletes, but if he can continue to bring the grit for a full 40 minutes in every game, then there is no reason why he can’t be third-team All-ACC again.

#24 – MIKE SCOTT, FORWARD – VIRGINIA

#25 - IMAN SHUMPERT, GUARD – GEORGIA TECH