HOKIES HOOPS CENTRAL: Boston College (11-7) At Virginia Tech (11-7) 9PM ACCN
โซ๏ธ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฝ๐ก๐๐๐ โซ๏ธ๐ Boston College๐ 9PM ET๐บ ACCNโซ๏ธ Wear Black๐ค @TruistNews #StoneByStone x #Hokies pic.twitter.com/TGOX6qv5uWโ Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 23, 2024
Boston College (11-7)
At Virginia Tech (11-7)
January 23rd, 2024
Cassell Coliseum
9 p.m. ET
ACCN
Virginia Tech Sports Network
ACCN
Play-by-Play: Wes Durham
Analyst: Cory Alexander and Jim Boeheim
Local Radio
Virginia Tech Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Zach Mackey
Analyst: Mike Burnop
Current Spread: Hokies -5.5
Over/Under: -148.5
๐ฟ๐ง๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐Tomorrow's @HokiesMBB game against Boston College is a blackout! Stop by the HokieShop to dress out for the big game!โ HokieSports (@hokiesports) January 22, 2024
Blackout Effect
The Hokies face off with Boston College after going on the road to beat NC State. The Hokies come home with a surprisingly successful trip to Raleigh and overcame a turnover filled game that saw the teams combine for 38 turnovers and 52 free throw attempts. The Hokies scoring outside was the difference as they hit nine threes.
The Boston College Eagles come in 11-7. They have beaten most of the teams they were expected to and lost to those they were expected to. They are off to a rocky start in ACC play at 2-5. They beat Georgia Tech in a high scoring affair and Notre Dame. The Eagles took NC State to overtime but ultimately lost in the ACC opener, after that they lost to Wake Forest, Syracuse, Clemson and most recently North Carolina. This will be the 37th meeting between the Hokies and Boston College. The Hokies are 13-23 overall against the Eagles.
The Eagles are coached by Earl Grant. He began his college coaching career at The Citadel as an assistant coach in 2002. Boston College is his second college head coaching job, taking over the job in 2021 after coaching College of Charleston for seven seasons. He has a 40-44 overall record guiding the Eagles.
Hopefully Coach Young can break his 0-5 record against the Eagles in this one. They are the only ACC team the Hokies have not beaten with Young at the helm.
Hokies ๐ under Mike Young in ACC play ...Tonight's opponent ๐ pic.twitter.com/Rt36sRY4Vzโ ึ รัตีง (@OX_VT) January 23, 2024
Boston College returned 59.4% of minutes played and 59.3% of scoring return from 2022-23 roster. The only contributing transfer is Claudell Harris Jr. from Charleston Southern. The biggest freshman commit was Fred Payne, a four-star Combo Guard, along with Jayden Hastings and Elijah Strong. The freshman are not contributing much to the Eagles.
The starting five are Quinten Post, Claudell Harris, Devin McGlockton, Jaeden Zackery, and Prince Aligbe. All but Aligbe are on the court at least 28 minutes per game. Aligbe is only playing around 23 mpg. They only have two other players averaging more than 15 mpg. Very reliant on starters to carry the load.
Coach Grant aims defensively to employ a full court defense the majority of the game. The problem though is that teams have been exposing this defense for quick scoring opportunities. The Eagles are experimenting with a slightly less aggressive mid court defense to cut down on these chances. Expect to see a mix of zone and man-to-man at different points. Defense though is definitely their better half. They struggle rebounding and are in an almost nine rebound deficit in conference play.
Offensively, Coach Grant uses a motion offense but with guard dribble penetration. The Eagles do not focus on perimeter shooting but do average 35% from outside in conference play. Eight players are averaging at least 5.8 points per game but the focus is definitely on a triangle of Post down low with Harris and Zackery alternating at the top of the key. They do an outstanding job protecting the ball with only 8.4 turnovers per game. They get to the free throw line nearly 18 attempts per contest but shoot an average 71% as a team.
Either way, if you are at the game, you will get the Red Panda haltime show to enjoy.
Late Night with the Hokies ๐โซ๏ธ๐ Boston College๐ Tuesday at 9PMโซ๏ธ Wear Black๐ผ Red Panda at halftime๐ฅ Smithfield Bricks for Bacon in 2H pic.twitter.com/bJQHkQq3bgโ Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 22, 2024
Eagles Backcourt
Claudell Harris
1 JR G 6-3 190
14.4 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Jaeden Zackery
3 JR G 6-2 200
11.9 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 4.3 Ast
Mason Madsen
45 SR G 6-4 190
6.8 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Donald Hand
13 FR G 6-5 195
5.8 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Chas Kelley
00 SO G 6-5 180
4.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Eagles Frontcourt
Quinten Post
12 SR F 7-0 240
17.1 Pts, 7.6 Reb, 3.1 Ast
Devin McGlockton
21 SO F 6-7 220
9.9 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Prince Aligbe
10 SO F 6-6 225
6.6 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 0.6 Ast
What to expect from Boston College?
The Eagles will run primarily a two guard, three forward set focused more on getting the ball underneath to Post, but very dependent on Harris on the perimeter. The biggest challenge with the Eagles though is that Post is fully capable shooting from outside so Kidd will have to stretch coverage outside the lane which creates opportunities for others to get inside.
Even in the short moments that Harris steps off the floor, he is followed by Senior Guard Mason Madsen off the bench. Madsen is shooting an incredible 47% (24-51) from outside so the Hokies must maintain perimeter pressure throughout.
Post, while leading the team in scoring, can disappear in games. Against Syracuse, he played 26 minutes and failed to score a single point. Zackery in that game also put up an egg in 27 minutes.
The Eagles have a much more stout starting five than some of the Eagles squads the Hokies have faced in recent years. Three players 6'7 or taller on the floor at all times barring significant foul trouble.
In four of their five conference losses, Boston College shot under 43% from the floor. They seem to go through stretches similar to the Hokies where none of their shots would fall. They really have struggled in the paint.
The Hokies
The biggest concern continues to be turnovers. In their last three games, the Hokies have turned the ball over 54 times, including 20 times at NC State which led to 25 of their 78 points. Let that sink in, almost one-third of all of the Wolfpack's points came after a Hokies turnover. The saving grace was that NC State was almost as sloppy and the Hokies turned 18 turnovers into 20 points. Those kind of numbers are not sustainable and Boston College comes in only allowing 8.4 per game so the Hokies must protect the ball better.
As most know, I have been pretty critical of Robbie Beran. In the NC State game though, he stepped up late with some critical plays. He had 11 points and hit some big free throws late, had a great block and managed a couple of steals. If he can do this consistently, it takes pressure off Pedulla and the guards to be the only scorers.
Young and company also did better at getting into the paint to score but going up against Post, seeing how Kidd and Poteat perform impacts this game in several ways. Kidd and Poteat combined for 22 points and 8 rebounds. That kind of contribution is what the Hokies need each game. If they are even able to find ways to score 10-12 points, it will draw the Boston College defense inside allowing the guards open looks.
The Hokies showed resolve similar to how they fought back against Florida State but were able to finish the job this time. The outside shot saved them as the Hokies went 9 for 19 while NC State only managed 6 for 19.
Winning plays ๐ฏ pic.twitter.com/YrWJyNrzriโ Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 21, 2024
In Closing
Can the Hokies handle the Boston College press defense and not turn the ball over? This likely defines the game. Hokies are home, favored to win and should be able to beat this team but if they end up in a -5 or worse turnover situation then the game trends the other way.
Boston College is good at protecting possessions but not a great jump shot shooting team outside of Madsen and Harris from the perimeter. If the Hokies continue to play solid defense than expect them to hold BC to at or below 40% from the floor and come out victorious.
If the Hokies get out to an early lead, the Eagles struggle at getting back into games. In three of their five ACC losses, they were down double digits early and the final scores were double digit losses.
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๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐ซ๐ก ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข โญ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ค pic.twitter.com/DOnV8WIHtSโ Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 23, 2024
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