The Boston College Eagles (7-14) are currently on an eight-game losing streak and will take on the No. 9-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (17-4) at John Paul Jones Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and can be seen on EFC and ES3.
The Cavaliers were victorious over Louisville 63-47 on Saturday. Malcolm Brogdon played a key role with 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists. The Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off an awful 89-62 loss against North Carolina on Saturday. Garland Owens had a solid game for Boston College, recording 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Second-chance opportunities are expected to be few and far between for the Eagles in this contest. They rank 346th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of 21.0%), while Virginia is 25th-best in the nation on the defensive backboards (DR% of 74.8%).
The Cavaliers come into this game 17-4 Straight Up (SU) and 8-11 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a solid 7-3 SU record over their last 10 games, but have not fared as well ATS (3-7). The Cavaliers are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a stellar .500 from the field. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Virginia, which ranks 12th at 1.54.
As for their opponent, the Eagles head into the game with records of 4-11-1 ATS and 7-14 SU. Boston College has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 2-6-1.
Virginia and Boston College will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Cavaliers were winners, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over their most recent games (5-5). With a 6-4 record, the Eagles have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Virginia held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Boston College never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – UVa, ATS Winner – UVa
Notes
Virginia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Virginia is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Virginia’s last 9 games.
Virginia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Virginia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston College.
Virginia is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Boston College.
Virginia sits at 6-3 SU against conference rivals, while winless Boston College is 0-8 SU against its foes.
Ranked 13th, the Virginia Cavaliers have an offensive rating of 117.3. The Boston College Eagles rank 173rd with a defensive rating of just 102.8.
The Boston College Eagles average 67.9 possessions per game and .928 points per possession. The Virginia Cavaliers earn fewer possessions with 61.7, but they score more points with 1.173.
The Virginia Cavaliers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 20th in the country with an eFG% of 55.4%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Boston College Eagles are winless with a 0-5 record.
On average, Virginia attempts 14.0 three pointers and Boston College attempts 21.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, both have losing records. The Virginia Cavaliers are 1-2 while the Boston College Eagles are 4-7.
Boston College makes an average of 5.6 steals per game. Virginia has a superb 10-2 record when it allows at least 5 steals.
 HurricanesvsNotre Dame Fighting Irish-150x150.jpg)
