HOOPS Preview: Notre Dame At Boston College

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NOTRE DAME (15-11, 5-8 ACC) VS. BOSTON COLLEGE (16-10, 6-7 ACC)

Where: Conte Forum (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)

Rankings: Both teams are unranked.

Time/TV: 4 p.m. ET/ACC Network

Last Meeting: Notre Dame 96, Boston College 85 (Feb. 6, 2018).

Series Info: Notre Dame leads the all-time series 20-10 (9-0 in the ACC).

Notre Dame goes for the season-sweep of Boston College this afternoon after defeating the Eagles 96-85 earlier this month at home.

The Irish aim to start their third Saturday-Monday turnaround with a win and get back on track while Boston College looks to extend its winning streak to three games.

Here is Blue & Gold Illustrated's preview of both teams along with a prediction of the outcome.

The Irish were within striking distance against North Carolina before the Tar Heels finished the game on a 16-3 run to close out the game 83-66.

Sophomore forward John Mooney was the story of the game for Notre Dame hitting six three-point attempts on his way to a career-high 18 points. Senior big man Martinas Geben matched Mooney’s point total to help lead the Irish.

The backcourt trio of senior Matt Farrell (9), sophomore TJ Gibbs (10) and junior Rex Pflueger (3) combined for 22 points on 5-of-34 shooting. Sophomore guard Nik Djogo and junior big man Elijah Burns each notched three points while senior big man Austin Torres contributed two points.

Overall, Notre Dame’s offense struggled shooting 37.9 percent (22-of-58) while also allowing the Tar Heels to shoot 53.3 percent (32-of-60).

Sitting at 5-8 in league play, Notre Dame is getting closer and closer to must-win territory the rest of the way in order to avoid having to win the ACC Tournament to make it to the big dance.

The Irish could add another reinforcement today in the form of freshman wing DJ Harvey, who could return after missing the previous seven games with a bone bruise.

Harvey is a game-time decision today and would come off the bench if he is cleared to play. In the four full games before he went down against Louisville, Harvey was averaging 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds.

For a Notre Dame team that is 0-5 in its last five road games, any extra offense that can be generated will be welcomed by Mike Brey and his staff.

Since joining the ACC, Notre Dame is 9-0 against Boston College. What will prevail this afternoon? Notre Dame’s road woes or their success against the Eagles in recent years.

Boston College is coming off a two-game winning streak over then-No. 25 Miami and on the road at Pittsburgh.

The Eagles are led by junior guard Jerome Robinson, who is the team’s highest scorer at 20.7 points per game while averaging 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Robinson put up 46 points on the Irish in the first matchup.

Robinson is joined by sophomore guard Ky Bowman (16.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.1 APG) and junior guard Jordan Chatman (12.9 PPG). The duo combined for 18 points in the loss earlier this month to the Irish.

Collectively, the trio combines for 50.2 of the team’s 76.1 points per contest on average (66.0 percent) while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 40.6 percent behind the arc.

In the frontcourt, sophomore forward Nik Popovic headlines the starting group at 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. Freshman forward Steffon Mitchell leads the team in rebounding at 8.2 while scoring 6.6 points per contest.

Boston College doesn’t get a ton from its bench in terms of production with three main reserves: sophomore forward Johncarlos Reyes (2.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG), freshman forward Vin Baker Jr. (2.4 PPG) and freshman forward Luka Kraljevic (1.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG).

Overall, the Eagles are averaging 76.1 points (t-111th) while allowing 72.2 points (t-165th) to opponents. The offense shoots 45.2 percent from the field including 37.1 percent (No. 81) behind the arc. Opponents shoot 42.8 percent on the Eagles, but just 34.8 percent on three-point attempts.

Boston College started conference play off with a bang taking down Duke 89-84 at home. The Eagles have won three of their last four games including a home win over Georgia Tech and the lone loss coming to the Irish.

Per KenPom.com, the Eagles rank No. 62 in offensive efficiency and No. 110 in defensive efficiency.

The first matchup between the two programs produced quite the offensive performance with both teams shooting a combined 50.8 percent from the field and 47.5 percent behind the arc.

Notre Dame had a much more balanced attack with Gibbs going for a team-high 28 points and Farrell following up with 19 points of his own. Geben and Mooney each added 16 points while Pflueger notched 13 points.

Boston College is 5-2 at home in ACC play including those wins over Duke and Miami. With Notre Dame’s struggles on the road in the league, the Eagles will have a lot riding in their favor.

Both teams will look to recreate the offensive from earlier this month while buckling down defensively.

Prediction

Notre Dame 82, Boston College 79

A lot is riding on this game for both teams as they try to make the NCAA Tournament. This is basically a must-win for the Irish and I think Brey’s group gets it done.

Notre Dame has Boston College’s number since joining the ACC, and I see the Irish offense producing enough to pull out the win.

The addition of Harvey could provide some more spark off the bench for the Irish. Either way, the Irish pick up the first leg of their third Saturday-Monday turnaround of the season.

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