The Eagles face a tough home test against the Cavaliers
Who: Virginia Cavaliers (20-8, 11-6) vs. Boston College Eagles (15-12, 6-10)
When: Tuesday, February 27th @ 2:00 PM EST
Where: Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA
How to watch: This game will be available on ESPNU.
Boston College men’s basketball continued its up-and-down February with a loss to NC State over the weekend. It was a messy game that saw Quinten Post get into foul trouble early, Devin McGlockton get ejected, and the Eagles finish with 16 turnovers. BC will look to end their two-game losing skid against a likely tournament team in the Virginia Cavaliers.
Virginia enters the game feeling comfortable about its March Madness chances, although an ugly loss to BC would certainly put a damper on their hopes. The Cavaliers are 11-6 in ACC play, but have lost their last two games to North Carolina and Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers are currently ranked 66th in KenPom and could really use a win against BC in a game that most metrics and sites view as a toss up.
Virginia’s leading scorers are senior guard Reece Beekman and sophomore guard Isaac McKneely. Beekman averages almost 14 points and McKneely averages just over 12 points per game. Beekman also leads his team in assists (5.8/game) and steals (2.1/game), so the Eagles would help their chances a lot if they can slow him down. McKneely is the Cavaliers’ go-to three-point expert and shoots them at a 45.1% clip.
Two places where the Eagles should be able to take advantage of the Cavaliers are in the post and in rebounding. The Cavaliers are not a tall team, and their tallest starter is usually 6’8”, setting the stage for Quinten Post to have a big game for the Eagles. Post was limited to just six points against NC State, but was averaging 16.8 points and 8 boards in his previous five games.
Barring a magical run in the ACC Tournament, BC’s March Madness chances are almost nonexistent but playing spoiler to other teams is always fun; BC has a chance to make life harder on Virginia on Tuesday night. Limiting turnovers and getting Post going early will be key for the Eagles to take down the Cavaliers.