Atlantic Coast foes will lock horns when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-5) play the Boston College Eagles (7-11) at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and can be seen on EFC and ES3.
The Fighting Irish enter this game hoping for similar success after barely hanging on to beat Virginia Tech 83-81 on Wednesday. Zach Auguste played a pivotal role, recording his 10th double-double of the season with 22 points and 15 rebounds. The Eagles, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 67-53 loss against Miami (FL) on Wednesday. Jerome Robinson had a game-high 20 points.
Bonzie Colson and Demetrius Jackson have been better than usual over the last five games for the Fighting Irish. During that stretch, Colson has averaged 16.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 1.6 blocks, while Jackson has recorded 20.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers a game.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance when two of the nation’s slowest-paced teams square off. Notre Dame ranks 339th in possessions per game (64.9), while Boston College is 279th (67.4). Moreover, foul-shooting opportunities could prove to be quite rare for the Eagles. They are 319th in the nation in FTA rate (29.5), while the Fighting Irish are among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 27.6, ranking 34th in the country).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Fighting Irish winning the first matchup 82-54. Demetrius Jackson had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 17 points, four rebounds, nine assists, four steals, and four three-pointers.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Notre Dame, a big 18-point favorite, takes on Boston College. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 139 points. The Fighting Irish come into this game 13-5 Straight Up (SU) and 6-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Fighting Irish are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .500 from the field. Notre Dame is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.57.
In the other locker room, the Eagles have 7-11 SU and 4-9 ATS records.
With the Fighting Irish’s last win against Boston College, their SU record is now 7-1 over Boston College in their most recent games. With a 5-3 record, the Fighting Irish also have the advantage ATS. Notre Dame held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Boston College never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – ND, ATS Winner – ND, O/U – Over
Notes
Notre Dame is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games.
Notre Dame is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Notre Dame’s last 13 games.
Notre Dame is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Notre Dame’s last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Notre Dame’s last 6 games when playing Boston College.
Notre Dame holds a winning 4-2 SU record against the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Boston College has yet to win a game against teams in the conference (0-5 SU).
Ranked fifth, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have an offensive rating of 122.3. The Boston College Eagles, on the other hand, rank 147th with a defensive rating of 101.2.
Notre Dame has the seventh-ranked average field goal percentage at 50.0%. Boston College has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-5).
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish rank higher based on their field goal percentage (seventh) than their effective field goal percentage (13th). The Boston College Eagles rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (249th) than their field goal percentage (272nd).
The 13th-ranked team in the category, Notre Dame has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.57 this season. Boston College ranks outside the top 100 at 193rd with an A/TO of 1.02.
On average, Boston College forces a turnover rate of 20.0%. When Notre Dame turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 2-1 record.
