BOSTON — Boston College coach Al Skinner doesn't need to remind his players that they were a little inconsistent last year.
"It's part of our history," the BC coach said as he prepared for his 13th season in Chestnut Hill. "If you mention North Carolina, people will turn around and say, 'Yeah, but you also lost to Harvard.' That loss will always be a reminder of who you are."
Yes, the Eagles beat North Carolina, which was No. 1 in the nation at the time and on its way to the NCAA championship. And, yes, BC followed that up three days later with a loss to Harvard, which was on its way to a .500 record and a sixth-place finish in the eight-team Ivy League.
So it's not surprising that when the Eagles talk about improving upon last season, the word "consistent" comes up often.
"That really is the challenge for this club: Can we be more consistent with our effort and our play?" Skinner said. "We've put ourselves in a position to be better. But you've got to do it."
A year after winning 22 games despite being picked to finish 11th in the 12-team Atlantic Coast Conference, the Eagles — who opened the season Friday at home with an 89-58 win over Dartmouth — again hope to thwart low expectations. And they'll have to do it without Tyrese Rice, their leader in points, assists and minutes and an honorable mention AP All-American.
"I don't think it's the statistics. I think it's the leadership we're going to need to make up," said BC forward Joe Trapani, who was second in scoring and the leading rebounder on last year's team. "Tyrese brought leadership, which is obviously something that we need to fill. And he was one of those guys where, if we needed a basket, he would deliver."
But Rice, who totaled 2,099 points and 594 assists in four years at BC, was also such a big part of the Eagles' offense that his teammates could be caught waiting around for him to make the play. Skinner said it was a big problem two years ago, when Rice was playing mostly with freshmen, and less of a concern in '08-09.
Now that those freshman are juniors with two years of experience, Skinner hopes they have grown into their roles.
"He (Rice) always had the ball at the end of the game. He always made his free throws. He took some of the big shots," Skinner said. "It's not his points and assists; it's the status he had on the team. Not only do we have some people who are capable of doing it, I think we have more than one option. It's a nice problem to have."
The other four starters — and 11 letter-winners in all — are back from the team that went 9-7 in the ACC, including victories over the Tar Heels and another over then-No. 5 Duke; there was also a 1-point loss to the Blue Devils in the second round of the ACC tournament. BC earned a berth in the NCAA tournament but lost in the opening round to Southern Cal.
"Everybody's coming back with more confidence," swingman Rakim Sanders said. "It helps us with bonding, knowing each other on and off the court. Our comfort zone helps us as a team."
Trapani scored 20 or more in five games, with a team-high six double-doubles in his first year after transferring from Vermont. He'll team up in the frontcourt with forward Corey Raji and center Josh Southern, who also started all 34 games last year.
Biko Paris, who scored 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting against Duke in the ACC tournament, and Reggie Jackson, who scored 17 in the victory over North Carolina, will share the ball-handling. Jackson will also see some time at shooting guard with Sanders.
And if there's a game-winning shot to be taken, Sanders said, any one of them can handle it.
"Taking last shots is not a problem," he said. "It's like any other shot, just with less time."
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