CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Even if Rakim Sanders was on the court instead of trying to fight off the flu, Boston College doesn't quite have the appearance of a top 25 team.

In fact, the Eagles were picked ninth in the ACC this season.

However, one thing I have learned: Never question Al Skinner and the Eagles.

BC can't get a sniff of the McDonald's All-Americans and the Eagles rarely keep high-profile local kids at home, but the program almost always finds a way to win games.

After the first three years of the Al Skinner regime – one in which the program went 32-56 from 1998-2000 – the Eagles have been among the country's most consistent programs.

Sure, there was the 14-17 season in 2008, Year One without Jared Dudley. However, Skinner's team has won at least 19 games every single year since the turn of the century.

"We feel disrespected," BC sophomore guard Reggie Jackson said of the preseason prediction to finish ninth in the ACC. "I'd be lying if I said, 'No.'

"We bring everybody back except for Tyrese (Rice). Sometimes we were great with Tyrese, and sometimes we were better without him."

Rice was a prolific scorer, but dominated the ball at times and was also a liability on the defensive end.

"This year we'll be more defensive-minded," Sanders said.

This group will be balanced, with juniors Joe Trapani and Sanders expected to share the scoring load, along with Jackson, who is a star-in-the-waiting.

Steady veteran Biko Paris will run the show. He's not capable of dominating the game as Rice was in his tenure at BC, but he'll make his teammates better with more frequency.

"He's always looking for the open guy," captain Tyler Roche said.

While it may appear on the surface that Paris is the key to the team since he'll step into Rice's role in the starting lineup, that title belongs to Sanders – the talented 6-foot-5 ½ wing who has battled inconsistency throughout high school and his first two seasons in college.

"I know that a lot rests on me, but I'm a smarter player now," Sanders said. "I understand the game more, that I can get shots instead of forcing things."

Sanders (12.9 ppg) said he won't be quite so reliant on the deep ball this season, choosing to devote much of the summer to his mid-range game and other facets that will help him become an improved all-around player. He's also learned to be positive with his teammates instead of barking at them and putting his head down.

Trapani (13.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is a skilled and versatile forward who should see a jump in production and offensive opportunities with Rice over in Europe.

Corey Raji (9.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) is a glue guy who started every game last season and will need to make shots in order to be a reliable small forward in the ACC. The options in the middle are hardly daunting with Josh Southern, Evan Ravenel and Courtney Dunn, but you've got to remember that this team went to the NCAA tournament a year ago with the same trio.

Reggie Jackson will likely be the sixth man and come off the bench as a true combo guard, but he's still hoping to crack the starting lineup. Jackson is a scoring point guard who makes good decisions and is the team's top option as someone who can make something happen on the offensive end. Jackson had 21 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in the team's intrasquad scrimmage.

Roche was raving about Sanders. Roche has gone against Dudley and now Sanders in practice in his three-plus seasons and said Sanders is so strong and is now up to 245 pounds.

The Eagles will need to stay healthy with just 10 scholarship players.

HAMPTON CAPTAIN DIES OF ACCIDENTAL GUNSHOT

There's been terrible news out of Hampton University with captain Theo Smalling passing away after an accidental gunshot wound.

Smalling died Monday night.

"This is a devastating loss for our community," Hampton coach Edward Buck Joyner said in a statement. "He was a great young man who was an asset to Hampton University on and off the court. Not only was he the captain and leader of our team, but the backbone of our team."

According to the Virginian-Pilot, the police report stated that two men were in a parking lot outside of a nightclub at 12:15 a.m. on Saturday when one of the men mishandled a gun that struck Smalling.

The 6-foot-7 Smalling averaged 3.3 points and 5.3 rebounds last season.

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