Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (15-6, 5-3 ACC) @ Boston College Eagles (14-8, 4-4 ACC)
When: Saturday, February 5 @ 1:00 p.m.
TV: None (Online Stream: http://www.theacc.com/allaccess/?media=221477)
Where: Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA
The Opponent: The Hokies head up to Boston on Saturday to take on a Boston College team in desperate need of a victory. The Eagles have lost three games in a row by an average of 21 points to Florida State, Duke, and North Carolina. BC gave up 106 to UNC on Tuesday in a 32-point defeat.
Despite their recent slump, the Eagles are still 41st in the RPI as of Friday night. That high mark comes despite home losses to Yale (by eight) and Harvard (by nine). BC’s recent problem has been defense, as they’re giving up 76.5 ppg in ACC contests, which is the second worst in the conference. The Eagles also allow opponents to shoot over 48 percent in conference games, the highest among the 12 ACC schools.
Here’s a look at their projected starting lineup:
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Reggie Jackson | G | 6-3 | 208 | Jr. | 18.0 | 4.3 |
| 5 | Biko Paris | G | 6-1 | 194 | Sr. | 10.9 | 2.1 |
| 12 | Joe Trapani | F | 6-8 | 232 | Sr. | 14.6 | 7.4 |
| 11 | Corey Raji | F | 6-6 | 218 | Sr. | 12.7 | 6.5 |
| 52 | Josh Southern | C | 6-10 | 263 | Sr. | 7.4 | 4.2 |
As you may have noticed, the Eagles get a lot of production from their starting five. In ACC games, though, Boston College has really four legitimate scorers and not much help elsewhere. Their leading scorer is junior point guard Reggie Jackson, averaging 16.8 ppg in ACC play. Jackson is arguably the best guard in the ACC, shooting over 50 percent from the field and nearly 43 percent from beyond the arc. Not only does he score, he also takes care of the ball, tallying 107 assists to just 51 turnovers in 22 games.
Senior Biko Paris joins Jackson in the backcourt as a secondary point guard. Paris has shown improvement in ACC play, averaging 11.9 ppg in eight conference contests. Like Jackson, Paris can shoot the three and dish the ball. The veteran guard makes 40 percent of his trey’s and has 72 assists to just 43 turnovers.
The Eagles frontcourt is buoyed by three experienced seniors in Joe Trapani, Corey Raji, and Josh Southern. Trapani seems like he’s been at Boston College for ages, and is still lighting up the scoreboard. Despite BC’s recent swoon, Trapani has averaged 19.3 ppg and 12.7 rpg and recorded a double-double in all three losses. He also shoots 35 precent from three. The younger brother of Green Bay Packer and BC product B.J. Raji, former nose tackle Corey Raji has come on as of late to average 14 ppg and 6.5 rpg in conference play. Despite his size, Raji can still hit the deep ball, connecting at a 40 percent clip from beyond the arc. At center, Southern isn’t exactly offensively skilled, but takes up a lot of space in the lane.
Off the bench, BC uses Danny Rubin (6-6, 170) as another potential three-point threat. The freshman averages just 5.5 ppg but is 44 percent from beyond the arc. Dallas Elmore (6-5, 210) is a defensive specialist that averages 3 ppg in 17 minutes.
Keys to VicTory:
- Defending Beyond the Arc
- As you can tell, the Eagles love to shoot the long ball. Four of their five starters are really capable of going off and lighting the Hokies up from deep. BC is second in the ACC in three-point percentage, but Tech is first in three-point percentage defense in conference games. Either way, I would expect to see more man-to-man from the Hokies to eliminate the three-pointer. That being said, Tech can NOT foul three-point shooters in this game (I’m looking at you Terrell Bell).
- Ghost House of Horros
- The Eagles are averaging 4,836 fans per game at the Conte Forum this year. Yes, less than 5,000 people show up on average to watch the Eagles play. The Hokies got throttled by 20 last year when there was just 4,632 people in attendance. Surprisingly, the Hokies are somehow just 1-8 in Boston, with the lone win coming in overtime three years ago. This is not a place Tech likes to play and a 1 p.m. tip isn’t going to help the crowd out at all.
- Close Out the Game
- The Hokies have had a double digit lead in the first half of eight of the nine games this calendar year. That seems good, until you look at the fact that Tech has been outscored in the second half in four of those games, including the last three. The Hokies haven’t been able to put an opponent away since the Maryland and Longwood games on January 20 and 22, respectively. BC is just 3-7 when trailing at halftime and 3-6 when they score less than 70 points. If Tech has a halftime lead, they must protect it and not allow the Eagles to shoot their way back into the game.
This is a big game for Tech in order to improve its standing within the ACC. The Hokies currently have a one-game cushion on Boston College, Clemson, and Maryland in the conference standings and sit just one game behind Florida State for third place. A little cushion over the teams below them would help, as would a win over a top 50 BC team. This is a great chance to get to +2 in the conference with four of the next six games coming at home.
