Ninth-ranked Virginia is coming off its best performance of the new year, maybe the season, maybe the past several years.
There’s only one direction to go into after the Cavs’ 63-47 pasting of Louisville on Saturday.
UVA (17-4, 6-3 ACC) faces Boston College (7-14, 0-8 ACC) Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.
This one has the makings of the classic trap game, with another tough road contest, Saturday at Pitt, looming for Virginia.
And BC, despite its struggles, is likely to give the ‘Hoos a run for at least a while. Top-ranked North Carolina wasn’t able to shake the Eagles until the latter part of the first half over the weekend, and even when the Tar Heels were able to build a double-digit lead, the game was still within relative reach until the midpoint of the second half.
Inside Boston College
- BC is among the more anemic teams in the country on offense, scoring just .909 points per possession, by far the worst in the ACC and 338th nationally, according to KenPom.com. The Eagles score 63.0 points per game and shoot 41.6 percent from the field, both last in the ACC, and shoot 33.6 percent from three-point range, 13th in the ACC.
- The offense is pretty much Eli Carter, a 6’2” senior who scores 17.3 points per game, shoots 39.6 percent from the field and averages 4.2 assists per game. Carter also averages 3.4 turnovers per game and 7.2 three-point attempts per game while shooting a modest 32.2 percent from behind the arc.
- Boston College has 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game. One shoots 50 percent or better from the field: 6’11” freshman Idy Diallo, who is shooting 61.5 percent, but averages just 2.3 points per game in 10.6 minutes per game.
- Defensively, the Eagles allow opponents to score .977 points per possession, seventh in the ACC and 63rd nationally. BC opponents score 69.5 points per game, eighth in the ACC, shoot 44.5 percent from the floor, 14th in the ACC, and 36.2 percent from three, 12th in the ACC.
- Tempo: 68.3 possessions per game, eighth in the ACC and 213th nationally.
Inside Virginia
- Virginia leads the ACC in field-goal percentage (50.0 percent) and three-point shooting (39.6 percent). KenPom.com ranks the UVA offense seventh nationally (though just fourth in the ACC) in efficiency, scoring 1.186 points per possession.
- After the stellar effort at Louisville, the UVA defense is the second-most efficient in the conference, allowing .944 points per possession, 25th best nationally.
- Malcolm Brogdon is the fourth-leading scorer in the ACC at 17.3 points per game. Anthony Gill is second in the conference in shooting (60.4 percent). London Perrantes leads the ACC in three-point shooting (51.9 percent).
- Tempo: 62.3 possessions per game (last in the ACC, 349th nationally).
– Preview by Chris Graham
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Chris Graham
