NC State is facing a must-win game and Boston College is trying to play spoiler at 2 p.m. Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
NCSU made some nice zone offense adjustments to blitz Boston College 16-7 in overtime to win 89-80 on Feb. 20 in Raleigh. The Eagles currently have a 14-15 overall record and are 5-12 in the ACC, so postseason opportunities could be slim.
NC State has a 20-10 overall mark and is 8-9 in the ACC, and are desperate for a victory against Boston College. Redshirt sophomore wing Devon Daniels came off the bench for 19 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for NC State. The Eagles featured five players in double figures, though Jordan Chatman got injured and missed the second half. Junior center Nik Popovic led the way with 18 points, and junior point guard Ky Bowman and junior wing Jared Hamilton added 16 apiece.
Here is a scouting report on Boston College.
Season Overview
Boston College had a nondescript 9-3 non-conference record, with losses against IUPUI on Nov. 14 and in overtime against Hartford on Dec. 31. The best win was arguably the 68-56 victory against Minnesota at home Nov. 26.
BC lost its first four ACC games and eight of 10 league contests, sinking the season in the process. The Eagles have proven to be pesky, topping Florida State and Louisville in home games.
Boston College has a good starting five but lack depth, but the trio of junior point guard Ky Bowman, junior center Nik Popovic and senior wing Jordan Chatman are proven players. BC has lost two ACC games in overtime, including at NC State, and have three other league losses in two-possession games.
Rankings
In the newly established NET rankings done by the NCAA, through games of March 7, the Eagles are ranked No. 113 in the country. KenPom.com has BC at No. 98 and ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Eagles at No. 101.
The Eagles are ranked No. 142 in the old RPI formula used by the NCAA — according to RealTimeRPI.com.
For comparison, NC State is 26th in BPI, 35th in NET, 39th in Kenpom.com and 116th in RPI.
Shooting
BC relies on three main three-point shooters, but are shooting just 32.5 percent from beyond the arc. Bowman leads the way at 38.1 percent, and Chatman is right behind at 35.8.
Boston College ranks 10th in the ACC at 67.7 points per game in 17 league contests. The Eagles are ninth in the league with 41.9 percent, and seventh in three-point shooting percentage with 33.7 percent.
Rebounding
The Eagles rank 10th in the ACC with 34.3 rebounds per game in league contests, and tied for ninth in offensive rebounding (10.3). The key has been the added rebounding punch from Bowman, who is second on the team with 7.7 rebounds a contest. Sophomore power forward Steffon Michell leads the way at 7.8 boards per game, and Popovic is third at 7.3.
Defense
Boston College ranks 11th in the ACC at allowing 73.7 points per game in 17 league contests. BC is just 10th in the league with opposing ACC teams shooting 43.9 percent.
Opponents have tried 409 three-point field goals, with only four league teams that have allowed more. BC ranks sixth in the ACC in allowing 32.3 percent on three-pointers.
Depth
The loss of freshman shooting guard Wynston Tabbs created a trickle down affect. Tabbs was averaging 13.9 points per game when he went down with a left knee injury Jan. 20 vs. Florida State.
Top reserve Jairus Hamilton, a power forward from Charlotte, N.C., just missed the North Carolina game due to injury. The 6-8, 234-pound Hamilton, a former NC State recruiting target, is averaging 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game.
BC only played three reserves — freshman guard Chris Herren, sophomore center Luka Kraljevic and redshirt junior center Johncarlos Reyes. Sophomore wing Vin Baker Jr. played against NC State in the first meeting.
Star Watch
The 6-1, 188-pound Bowman, who is from Havelock, N.C., could be playing his last home game for Boston College on Saturday.
Bowman has handled the increased responsibilities this season with backcourt mate Jerome Robinson turning professional last year. He leads his team in points (19.3), assists, three-point field goals made, steals, and has more total rebounds than sophomore power forward Steffon Mitchell.
Bowman, who was verbally committed to North Carolina football as a wide receiver, went bonkers from three-point land against the Tar Heels last Tuesday. He went 7 of 16 on three-pointers en route to having 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a 79-66 loss. Bowman has has played all 40 minutes (or 45) in 20 contests this season.
The heavy workload hasn’t slowed down Bowman at all. He has scored in double digits in every game but a win over Miami on Feb. 17. Bowman has eight double-doubles for points and rebounds this season, and has reached 37-plus points in three games, including going for 44 points in a 79-78 overtime loss vs. Hartford on Dec. 31.
Bowman played all 45 minutes in the loss against NC State, and went for 16 points and five assists, but he struggled from the field going 6 of 17 (4 of 9 on three-pointers).
Likely starters:
NC State
PG — 11 Markell Johnson (6-1, 175, Jr., 11.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.0 spg)
SG — 13 C.J. Bryce (6-5, 195, R-Jr., 11.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.3 spg)
G — 10 Braxton Beverly (6-0, 180, Soph., 9.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.7 apg)
F — 2 Torin Dorn (6-5, 210, 5th-Sr., 13.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 spg)
C — 33 Wyatt Walker (6-9, 240, R-Jr., 4.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Boston College
PG — 0 Ky Bowman (6-1, 188, Jr., 19.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.3 spg)
SG — 25 Jordan Chatman (6-5, 210, Sr., 13.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
SF — 3 Jared Hamilton (6-4, 203, Jr., 5.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.4 apg)
PF — 41 Steffon Mitchell (6-8, 220, Soph., 4.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.2 bpg)
C — Nik Popovic (6-11, 253, Jr., 14.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Stats To Watch
Contain “other” Hamilton: Junior wing Jared Hamilton is one of the most unlikely ACC players, having started his career at both Jacksonville State and Georgia Southern. However, he joined his younger brother Jarius Hamilton and was able to play after missing the first semester. He had 16 points in 43 minutes played in the first meeting against NC State. It was the third time he reached double figures in ACC action, and he’s averaging 5.8 points per game.
Win first 35 minutes: NC State will need to win the first 35 minutes of the game because BC is 10-2 when leading with five minutes left, and 2-12 when trailing at that point. The Eagles are 8-4 when leading at halftime.
Fifty-70 points: Boston College will want to play at a slower pace, and are 10-2 when allowing less than 70 points this season. NC State scoring 89 points was one of just six ACC games this season where opposing teams have scored at least 80 points against Boston College.
Game Within The Game: BC's Jordan Chatman vs. NCSU's Braxton Beverly
Chatman was off to a hot start against NC State, shooting 4 of 5 on three-pointers for 12 points before getting injured right before halftime.
The 6-5, 210-pounder missed the next game against Clemson and hasn’t been quite the same from beyond the arc upon his return. Chatman has gone 4 of 17 on three-pointers over his last three games.
The BYU transfer is averaging 13.3 points and 2.0 assists per game for the Eagles this season. He is shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 35.8 percent on three-pointers, with the latter a little down from hitting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc last year.
BC relies heavily on the trio of Chatman, Bowman and Popovic, so having one of them go missing against NC State affected the Eagles, who still forced overtime.
NC State could have sophomore guard Braxton Beverly on him Saturday. The 6-0, 180-pound Beverly is aiming for a bounce back game against BC. He had gone 4 of 12 from three-point land for 15 points in the previous meeting. Beverly went 0 of 8 from the field, all but one shot from three-point land, to finish with zero points in the stunning 63-61 loss vs. Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
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