2019 ACC Tournament Preview: #11 Boston College vs. #14 Pitt

#11 seed Boston College (14-16, 5-13 ACC) faces #14 seed Pitt (13-18, 3-15 ACC) in the first round of the 2019 ACC Tournament on Tuesday.

Boston College won the lone matchup of the two in 2019, defeating the Panthers, 66-57, on Feb. 12 in Chestnut Hill.

Pitt was able to play its way out of the cellar with its 56-53 win over Notre Dame this past Saturday, snapping a 13-game losing streak in so doing.

Boston College has lost three straight since its 66-59 upset of Louisville on Feb. 27.

Players to watch: Boston College

• Ky Bowman, a 6’1” junior guard, averages a team-best 19.2 points per game and, surprisingly, for a smallish guard, also averages 7.5 rebounds a game. Bowman is shooting 40.6 percent from the floor and 37.9 percent from three-point range.
• 6’11” junior forward Nik Popovic averages 14.2 points and 7.1 rebounds a game, shooting 52.6 percent from the floor, and 56.7 percent on two-point field goals.
• Jordan Chatman, a 6’5” senior, averages 13.1 points a game, but is only shooting 38.2 percent from the floor, and 35 percent from three.

Players to watch: Pitt

• Xavier Johnson, a 6’3” freshman, scores a team-best 15.6 points per game, shooting 42 percent from the floor and 36.3 percent from three-point range, with 4.5 assists per game, and an alarming 4.0 turnovers per game.
• Jared Wilson-Frame, a 6’5” senior, averages 12.2 points per game, shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and 39.0 percent from three.
• Trey McGowens, a 6’3” freshman, averages 11.5 points per game, shooting 41.5 percent from the floor and 31.5 percent from three.

KenPom.com says: Pitt 69, Boston College 68 (53 percent chance of Pitt winning)

Preview by Chris Graham