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University of North Carolina Athletics
Garrison Brooks and the Tar Heels won at BC last March.
Photo by: J.D. Lyon Jr.
Know Your Opponent: Boston College
February 1, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Matt Bowers
Boston College Eagles (BCEagles.com)
Location: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Rankings: No. 172 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 10-11, 4-6 ACC
NET/SOS: No. 160 NET, No. 90 SOS
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads, 18-5 (UNC 79, BC 66, March 5, 2019, Conte Forum)
As the calendar turns to February today, both North Carolina's Roy Williams and Boston College's Jim Christian are probably glad to leave January behind.
The Tar Heels started the month with five consecutive losses. BC won its first game of 2020 by beating then-No. 18 Virginia, but followed with a four-game losing streak and has lost five of six entering Saturday's game in the Smith Center.
Williams hopes his Tar Heels have begun to turn a corner with back-to-back wins and the possible looming return of Cole Anthony, and Christian is hoping for a similar turnaround.
Last Saturday the Eagles beat a Virginia Tech team coming off a win over Carolina. And while BC lost to sixth-ranked Louisville on Wednesday night, it played very well in the first half and trailed by just two at halftime before the Cardinals pulled away. The Eagles come into Chapel Hill eager to end their 12-game losing streak in the series.
BC has had difficulties shooting the ball this season, ranking last in the Atlantic Coast Conference in field goal percentage at .402 and 13th in three-point percentage at .299 (right behind Carolina's .300, by the way).
In the preseason, the Eagles announced that returning starting point guard Wynston Tabbs (13.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.7 apg in 2018-19), who suffered a knee injury last year, would miss the 2019-20 season after surgery.
To plug that hole in the lineup, Christian has leaned on a graduate transfer at the point. Former Duke and Southern California guard Derryck Thornton has logged most of the minutes at point guard this season for the Eagles.
Thornton leads the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and assists (3.6 apg). He leads four Eagles who average double figures in scoring despite hitting just 25.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
The Eagles shoot just 29.9 percent from behind the arc as a team, ranking near the bottom of the ACC.
That being said, when freshman shooting guard Jay Heath gets hot the Eagles can get their offense going. Heath is BC's most dangerous three-point shooter, hitting 38.4 percent with a team-high 38 threes and ranking second on the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg. BC is 7-4 this season when he scores 14 points or more.
The Eagles feature a veteran frontcourt trio that could present problems for Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot in the lane.
Senior Nik Popovic has returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a back injury. He's third on the team in scoring at 10.5 ppg and is a 1,000-point scorer in his career. Sophomore Jairus Hamilton scored a career-high 23 points in last Saturday's win over Virginia Tech and is averaging 16.3 ppg in his last three outings. And junior Steffen Mitchell leads BC in rebounding (8.3), steals (2.4) and blocks (1.1) per game while also ranking second on the team in assists (2.9).
Boston College Eagles (BCEagles.com)
Location: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Rankings: No. 172 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 10-11, 4-6 ACC
NET/SOS: No. 160 NET, No. 90 SOS
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads, 18-5 (UNC 79, BC 66, March 5, 2019, Conte Forum)
As the calendar turns to February today, both North Carolina's Roy Williams and Boston College's Jim Christian are probably glad to leave January behind.
The Tar Heels started the month with five consecutive losses. BC won its first game of 2020 by beating then-No. 18 Virginia, but followed with a four-game losing streak and has lost five of six entering Saturday's game in the Smith Center.
Williams hopes his Tar Heels have begun to turn a corner with back-to-back wins and the possible looming return of Cole Anthony, and Christian is hoping for a similar turnaround.
Last Saturday the Eagles beat a Virginia Tech team coming off a win over Carolina. And while BC lost to sixth-ranked Louisville on Wednesday night, it played very well in the first half and trailed by just two at halftime before the Cardinals pulled away. The Eagles come into Chapel Hill eager to end their 12-game losing streak in the series.
BC has had difficulties shooting the ball this season, ranking last in the Atlantic Coast Conference in field goal percentage at .402 and 13th in three-point percentage at .299 (right behind Carolina's .300, by the way).
In the preseason, the Eagles announced that returning starting point guard Wynston Tabbs (13.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.7 apg in 2018-19), who suffered a knee injury last year, would miss the 2019-20 season after surgery.
To plug that hole in the lineup, Christian has leaned on a graduate transfer at the point. Former Duke and Southern California guard Derryck Thornton has logged most of the minutes at point guard this season for the Eagles.
Thornton leads the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and assists (3.6 apg). He leads four Eagles who average double figures in scoring despite hitting just 25.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
The Eagles shoot just 29.9 percent from behind the arc as a team, ranking near the bottom of the ACC.
That being said, when freshman shooting guard Jay Heath gets hot the Eagles can get their offense going. Heath is BC's most dangerous three-point shooter, hitting 38.4 percent with a team-high 38 threes and ranking second on the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg. BC is 7-4 this season when he scores 14 points or more.
The Eagles feature a veteran frontcourt trio that could present problems for Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot in the lane.
Senior Nik Popovic has returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a back injury. He's third on the team in scoring at 10.5 ppg and is a 1,000-point scorer in his career. Sophomore Jairus Hamilton scored a career-high 23 points in last Saturday's win over Virginia Tech and is averaging 16.3 ppg in his last three outings. And junior Steffen Mitchell leads BC in rebounding (8.3), steals (2.4) and blocks (1.1) per game while also ranking second on the team in assists (2.9).
Players Mentioned
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