Virginia, No. 7, is looking to extend its current winning streak to six games and move further up the ACC rankings when Boston College comes to Charlottesville on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles have won each of their last two games, but not at John Paul Jones Arena since 2011.
Read on for a full Virginia vs. Boston College preview, including match details, an opponent’s scouting report, match notes and a score prediction.
game details
Who: Virginia Cavaliers (15-3, 7-2 ACC) vs. Boston College Eagles (10-11, 4-6 ACC)
When: Saturday, January 28 at 12 p.m. ET
Where from: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia
How to see: ACC regional sports networks
How to stream: fuboTV (start free trial)
How to listen: SiriusXM 84, SXM App 84 | Virginia Sports Radio Network – Click here for affiliates
all-time streak: Virginia leads 18-8
Last meeting: Virginia defeated Boston College on February 1, 2022 in Charlottesville 67-55.
Opponent’s scouting report: Boston College
2022-2023: 10-11, 4-6 (11th in ACC)
Notable results: at Duke 75-59L, Villanova 77-56L, Virginia Tech 70-65W, at Syracuse 79-65L, Notre Dame 70-63W, Duke 65-64L, at Miami 88-72L, Wake Forest 86 -63L, in North Carolina 72-64L, in Notre Dame 84-72W, Louisville 75-65W
As a sophomore under Earl Grant, Boston College got off to a solid 5-2 start before suffering four losses in early December. A 70-65 win over Virginia Tech on December 21 temporarily got things going again, but the Eagles then lost five of their next six ACC contests, including a brutal one-point home loss to Duke on January 7. With 10-11 overall and 4-6 in the ACC game, Boston College currently sits 11th in the ACC standings and has more tough games ahead as the Eagles play Virginia twice this season and have games against Clemson, NC State, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest remain on the schedule.
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Still, the Eagles have been playing better basketball lately, and a lot of that has to do with the resurgence of Quinten Post, a 7’0″-250-pound senior from the Netherlands. Post missed the first 13 games of the season by a foot Following the injury he picked up just before the start of the season, he has given Boston College a huge boost since his return, scoring double-digit goals in seven of his eight games and earning a place in the starting XI points per game and also leads the team in rebounds at 6.4 boards per game. He’s stretching the ground at 44.4% from three to 18 tries this season. The last two games have been phenomenal for Post, averaging 25.5 points in the Boston College had two wins over Notre Dame and Louisville, including a 29-point, 14-rebound double-double in the Eagles’ road win over the Fighting Irish last Saturday as Virginia looked for more smalls l-ball lineups, resulting in less playing time for Kadin S Hedrick, the challenge of defending Quinten Post could present an opportunity for Shedrick to earn his way back onto the court if Post proves to be too much highlighting the UVA’s small ball lineups.
Boston College brings back Makai Ashton-Langford and DeMarr Langford Jr.’s brother tandem to the backyard. Ashton-Langford, a 6’3″ graduate guard, flirted with the NBA late last year but decided to return for a fifth season in college basketball. He has played in 130 career games and is having his best season yet, averaging 12 .9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game His younger brother DeMarr Langford Jr. offers good height as a 6’5″ junior guard. Lanford Jr. averages 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Neither Makai nor DeMarr are good three-point shooters, but they are talented playmakers, capable of creating and making their own shots.
Rounding out the backcourt is Jaeden Zackery, a 6’2-inch second-year guard. His numbers are mostly the same as his freshman season, averaging 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, but his field goal percentages have gone down. Zackery is now shooting just 39.5% from the ground , after shooting 46.3% from the field as a freshman, and is just 30.2% from three points this season after a staggering 47.7% three-point percentage as a freshman is a solid defender with a nose for the ball who has amassed 34 total steals so far this season, but losing possession has been a problem for both Zackery (44 turnovers) and Makai Ashton-Langford (40 turnovers). Boston College has the second-worst assist/turnover -Ratio in ACC at 0.96 (11.4 assists per game to 11.9 turnovers per game).
6’7″ winger Prince Aligbe completes the starting XI averaging 6.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, giving the Eagles a versatile player who can play in multiple positions on the ground. 6’9″ senior forward TJ Bickerstaff started the first 17 games of the season but has come off the bench since the return of Quinten Post. Bickerstaff averages 5.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
There is some depth of quality to the Boston College roster and it gives the Eagles some additional options, especially up front. 6’7″ graduate CJ Penha Jr. averages 7.8 points per game off the bench and shoots 53.0% from the field. Penha can also den a little at 34.8% from three-point range Boston College also brings 6′ 7″ redshirt freshman forward Devin McGlockton (6.2 ppg) and 6’4″ junior guard Mason Madsen (5.3 ppg) off the bench.
Boston College ranks 7th in defense in the ACC with 69.5 points per game allowed, but ranks 14th in offense in the ACC with 66.3 points per game. The Eagles are the ACC’s worst three-point shooting team at 29.7% from three, and they also have the worst three-point defense, allowing their opponents to shoot 38.2% from three this season. Against a Virginia team tied for first place in the ACC on team three-point shooting with 38.8%, creating and making open shots on the edge will be key for the Cavaliers to victory on Saturday.
game notes
- Virginia is 18-8 all-time against Boston College and has won each of their last three games against the Eagles.
- UVA is 10-2 against Boston College in Charlottesville and comes into this game on a seven-game winning streak against the Eagles at John Paul Jones Arena.
- Tony Bennett is 12-5 against Boston College as head coach.
- Armaan Franklin is 10 points away from exceeding 1,000 career points.
- Kihei Clark is eight starts away from becoming UVA’s all-time leader in games started and 40 assists away from overtaking John Crotty for first on Virginia’s all-time assists list.
- Virginia is currently second in the ACC standings, 7-2 in conference play and trailing only Clemson, 9-1.
- Virginia is 9-1 in home games this season and holds a home record of 225-54 (.807) over 17 seasons at John Paul Jones Arena.
forecast
No opponent in ACC should be taken lightly. Boston College has the knack of making this matchup interesting, and the Cavaliers should expect the Eagles to give them that win. With that in mind, a solid performance from Virginia on Saturday should result in a comfortable win for the Cavaliers, especially at home where they’ve won each of their last seven games against the Eagles. Boston College’s three-point defense has been a weakness all season, and the ACC’s best three-point shooting team should be able to capitalize on that for a thorough and convincing win on Saturday.
Score Prediction: Boston College 63, Virginia 76
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