Let’s just start with the end of the game. BC was down 71-64 with 1:10 to go when VTech's Chris Clarke turned the ball over on one end of the floor, then Jerome Robinson was fouled on a three he nearly made, then Clarke was called for the technical foul. When the refs got it all sorted out, Jerome Robinson had five free throws and knocked them all down to make it 71-69 with 1:05 to play. BC then got a stop and had the ball with around 45 second left. Taking the shot clock down to about 10 seconds, it was clear BC was just trying to get the refs to call a foul, which they eventually did when Jerome Robinson got bumped and went to the line for a one and one--hitting both and tying the game. VTech then had the ball with 22 seconds left in the game, but instead of taking the clock all the way down to 2 or 3 seconds before attempting a shot, Justin Robinson took the ball to the rack with closer to 10 seconds left, missing the layup and still giving BC enough time to rebound and push the ball up the floor where Jerome Robinson almost made a three to win the game. Obviously, I give credit to BC for getting two stops down the stretch and to Robinson for making a ton of clutch free throws, but the truth is that BC was extremely lucky to be in the game at the end and VTech made a ton of boneheaded decisions in the last minute. Firstly, they fouled Jerome on a three--never foul a jumpshooter--then Clarke got a tech--which is just not smart--then they foul Robinson again--not even forcing BC to make a shot--then they fail to run the clock all the way out on the last play. So that’s four terrible plays by the Hokies that allowed BC to get back in the game. I hate to say a win would’ve been a gift by VTech, but that was pretty inexcusable all around by the Hokies.

As we got into OT, VTech quickly reestablished themselves and grabbed a 74-71 lead, but BC battled right back and made it 75-74--their first lead since 29-28. Flash forward to 79-79 and unfortunately, BC just couldn’t get any stops on defense and VTech hit three straight shots that all but sealed the game and Bowman and Robinson couldn’t come up on the offensive end.

My overall thoughts before getting to the specifics: BC did not deserve to win this game. Obviously, they could’ve won, and some poor defense in OT really ruined their chance to steal a game, but for the most part it was clear they were the inferior team. Jerome Robinson played extremely well and Ky Bowman had his ups and downs, but as a whole this team was all over the place. Sloppy turnovers, poor shot selection, and defensive missteps were the reason BC lost tonight. They only had a real chance at the end due to some strange plays by VTech.

The run that killed BC: BC was up 28-26 with 1:52 left in the first, they would score just one basket until 16 minutes left in the second half. Over the next 6 minutes of the game, Virginia Tech would go on a 14-2 run and it’s not as if they were hitting every shot, BC just seemed to lose their life and the Eags just got in their own head. Turnovers and poor defense started to really hurt the Eagles and they found themselves down 42-31 with 16 minutes left in the second half. BC was able to bring it back to 48-47 after stringing together a few good stops, but two bad shots by Ky Bowman and another turnover stretched the lead back to 54-47. After that, the lead hovered around six to eleven points before the wild finish allowed BC to get back in it.

The MVP for BC is easily Jerome Robinson, who carried BC for much of tonight and continued to prove he's the Eagles’ best player by far. Getting off to an amazing start, Jerome had 11 straight points for BC early on in the game and no one on Virginia Tech could cover him. Unfortunately, some sloppiness caught up to Robinson as he finished just 0-2 over the last 11 minutes of the first half and had 3 turnovers. In the second half, though, Robinson was 3-5 from the field and 1-2 from deep, weathering the storm when BC was ice cold offensively. Then in the last minute of regulation, Jerome hit seven extremely tough free throws to force OT and nearly won the game for BC at the buzzer. It wasn’t a perfect game for him, but it was a valiant performance and he is by far the most efficient scorer on this BC team.

Virginia Tech, who takes 40% of their shots from beyond the arc in ACC play, shot 8 of their first 15 shots from three. They were 1-8 on such attempts and it was clear BC was allowing them to shoot. BC switched into a zone very early on in the game and it seemed to be paying off as VTech was getting no penetration and was operating solely around the perimeter. The only problem is that BC isn’t as good on the glass in a zone, and BC quickly gave up a couple of easy offensive rebounds. BC then decided to go back to man, but VTech still couldn’t get anything going inside. They started the game just 4-15 from the field, scoring just 9 points in the first 8 minutes of the game--keep in mind this is a team that has scored 80+ in its last 6 games. BC kept switching from man to a 3-2 to a 1-3-1 the rest of the first half, but their rebounding in the zone continued to be an issue as the Hokies grabbed 5 first half offensive boards. Luckily, VTech just couldn’t hit shots in the first half, as they finished the half 13-36 from the field and 5-19 from deep. In the second half though, things were completely different. As the second half got underway and BC got more and more exhausted, it became clear the Eagles were going to have a hard time dealing with VTech’s ball movement. Throughout most of the second half, it felt like Virginia Tech was getting an open corner three at will. After a first half where they shot 36% from the field and 26% from three, the Hokies shot 46% from the field in the second half and 42% from three. Bibbs was a major issue for BC tonight and despite Nik Popovic’s best efforts, Blackshear was dominant inside.

This was possibly the worst game of the season for Jordan Chatman. In a game like this it became very evident how ill-equipped Jordan Chatman is on the defensive end of the floor. Not doubting his effort, but a simple lack of athleticism seems to plague him. Two or three times early in the game, Justin Bibbs absolutely blew by Chatman to score for himself or make a play for someone else, sending the entire BC defense into disarray. Obviously, Chatman isn’t out there for his defense and the hope is that he’ll generate more points with his offense to cancel out his poor defense. Unfortunately, Chatman scored 0 points in the first half despite playing all 20 minutes--missing two wide open threes from the right corner and also forcing up a wild shot inside that was rejected. In the second half, Chatman hit a nice turnaround jumper and a three and was a little more active offensively, but he was nowhere near the threat he was in games against Duke and Virginia--who are much better defensively than Virginia Tech. As the season gets in its final stretch, Chatman needs to find a way to stay active--but we've been saying this all year.

Turnovers. What can you say? BC had 16 turnovers this game leading to 19 points for the Hokies. That is unacceptable.

This was a classic Ky Bowman game: At times he looked great, but at other times he really hurt BC with his bad shot selection and turnovers. Bowman plays extremely hard and there's no doubt he's a talented player, but the efficiency just isn't there. Finishing 7-22 from the field and 4-11 from deep, the highlight of the day for him was when he scored nine straight points for BC to make it a 68-64 game with 2 minutes to go. The rest of his game was just too inefficient. If BC is going to rely on him so much, he's gotta up the efficiency.

Overall, a loss like this just is really deflating. BC had a chance to bounce back from two tough road losses and claw their way back to 4-5 in ACC play with a winnable game coming on Sunday against Georgia Tech. Instead, BC is 3-6 in ACC play and Georgia Tech just upset Syracuse--making Sunday's game seem tougher. This a slippery slope for BC and while the expectations weren't super-high for the Eagles this season, a loss on Sunday could snowball into something worse.