BC travels to South Carolina to take on a ranked Tigers team
After the Boston College men’s basketball team lost to Syracuse this week, their ACC record fell to 1-3 on the season. The Eagles have an overall record of 10-5, but they’ll need to perform better against their conference opponents as the season progresses, and they’ll have a chance to do just that when they travel to Clemson on Saturday.
Who: Boston College Eagles (10-5, 1-3) @ No. 21 Clemson Tigers (11-4, 1-3)
When: Saturday, January 13th at 3:00 pm EST
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, SC
How to watch: This game will be available on the ACC Network.
Boston College enters this game 2-2 in its last four games and put up its lowest point total of the season (59) in its last game against Syracuse. The offense looked lackluster and the players seemed to lack the energy that they played with in their comeback win over Georgia Tech.
Star big man, Quinten Post, finished with zero points, on 0-4 shooting, with seven turnovers against the Orange, so look for him to score early and often against Clemson on Saturday. Claudell Harris has been on a good run as of late, putting up 15 or more points in his last four games for the Eagles. He’ll be counted on to take some pressure off of Post against this Clemson team.
The Tigers enter this matchup on a three-game losing skid, with losses to Miami, No. 8 North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. The Tigers’ best win of the season came back in November, when they were unranked and beat No. 23 Alabama.
KenPom has Clemson ranked 31st in the country, surrounded by teams like Colorado State and Dayton, although their adjusted offensive efficiency is miles ahead of their defense’s. Clemson’s offensive efficiency is 18th in the country according to KenPom, while their defense is 78th. Comparatively, BC’s offensive efficiency is 54th nationally, so the Eagles should have the edge of Clemson’s defense.
The Tigers’ leading scorer is 6’10 center, PJ Hall. The senior from Spartanburg, SC has been one of the best big men in the ACC, so he and Quinten Post will certainly be a fun matchup to watch. Hall is aided by senior guard, Joseph Girard III, who averages 15.2 points and shoots 40.3% from three.
Both Boston College and Clemson have proven to have powerful offenses, so this game could easily turn into a barn-burner. The deciding factor might be which defense can come up with more key stops late in the game.
Prediction: Eagles 87 – Tigers 83