Boston College has battled some injuries this season and have lost five out of its last eight games.

The Eagles were blown out 85-58 at Miami (Fla.) last Wednesday, but do have a season sweep of Virginia Tech, and victories at Notre Dame, vs. Virginia and at North Carolina.

NC State (16-8 overall, 7-6 ACC) plays at Boston College at 6 p.m. Sunday on ACC Network.

At one point, Boston College figured they’d be built around guards Ky Bowman and Wynston Tabbs, but that fell apart for various reasons.

Bowman went pro a year early and is with the Golden State Warriors, and Tabbs injured his left knee again and is redshirting this season. He had gotten injured 15 games into last year. Graduate transfer Derryck Thornton and freshman guard Jay Heath are starting in the backcourt instead.

BC also played nine games without senior center Nik Popovic, whose numbers have declined this season. He averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, and shooting 52.6 percent from the field last year, but has fallen off to 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds a contest, with 46.7 percent shooting from the field.

Rankings

In the newly established NET rankings done by the NCAA, Boston College is ranked No. 146 in the country this season.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has Boston College ranked No. 185, and KenPom.com has the Eagles at No. 163.

Boston College is ranked No. 131 in the old RPI formula used by the NCAA — according to RealTimeRPI.com.

Shooting

BC is ninth in the ACC at 70.8 points per game, 11th in field-goal percentage (42.5) and 11th in three-point field-goal percentage (31.7).

Boston College has four players who have made at least 20 three-pointers, with Heath leading the way, making 45 of 120 for 37.5 percent.

Rebounding

Boston College is eighth in the ACC with 36.7 rebounds per game and 11th in rebounding margin with minus-1.9. The Eagles are also ninth in offensive rebounds with 10.7 a contest.

Junior post player Steffon Mitchell has made his mark as a garbage man in the paint and leads the way 8.6 rebounds a contest. Popovic is second with 5.0 boards a contest, and sophomore Jairus Hamilton of Charlotte, N.C., is third at 4.5.

Defense

The Eagles rank 13th in the ACC in allowing 72.8 points per game, 11th in allowing 41.9 percent from the field and fifth in allowing 31.9 percent on three-pointers. BC is 11th in blocks per game (3.32) and 13th in steals a contest (5.13).

Mitchell has a team-high 24 blocks and freshman CJ Felder has 12, and Mitchell also leads the way with 55 steals.

Depth

Popovic is a former starter, but is coming off the bench. The 6-11, 253-pounder was injured Dec. 3, and returned Jan. 22. He’s averaging 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds. He had 10 points, six rebounds and six assists in the loss at Miami.

Senior Jared Hamilton got hurt against Virginia Tech on Feb. 8, and missed the Miami game. The 6-4 wing from Charlotte, N.C., is averaging 8.1 points per game.

Freshman Kamari Williams has come alive the last two games off the bench. The 6-7, 200-pounder is averaging 2.2 points in 8.6 minutes per game, but he had 14 points in the loss at Miami last Wednesday, and he chipped in eight points at Virginia Tech in the game before that. Freshman wing Julian Rishwain is averaging 3.8 points in 14.7 minutes per game, but he hasn’t scored in his last six appearances.

Senior point guard Derryck Thornton has had a circuitous route in college basketball. The former Rivals.com five-star prospect was a standout at Henderson (Nev.) Findley Prep, and was convinced by Duke to enroll a year early, rather than play his senior year of high school.

Thornton struggled at Duke, averaging 7.1 points and 2.6 assists per game, and made the move back home to attend USC for two years. Thornton earned his degree and elected to transfer to Boston College. He is averaging 12.7 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Thornton had a terrific start to his Boston College career with 23 points against Wake Forest on Nov. 6, and he followed with 22 points at South Florida on Nov. 10. He has scored at least 10 points in 16 games this season, including 20-plus in three contests.

Thornton had a miserable Duke homecoming, going 3 of 12 from the field for six points in a 88-49 loss in Durham on Dec. 31. However, he bounced back for 21 points in a 63-55 loss against the Blue Devils in Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Feb. 4.

Thornton’s responsibilities grew after sophomore guard Wynston Tabbs suffered a season-ending injury for the second consecutive year.

NC State

PG — 11 Markell Johnson (6-1, 175, Sr., 13.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.7 apg, 2.0 spg)

SG — 13 C.J. Bryce (6-5, 210, 5th-Sr., 14.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg)

G — 24 Devon Daniels (6-5, 205, R-Jr., 12.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 spg)

F — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 205, Soph., 9.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.9 apg)

C — 0 D.J. Funderburk (6-10, 225, R-Jr., 12.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.3 apg)

Boston College

PG — 11 Derryck Thornton (6-3, 195, Sr., 12.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.1 spg)

SG — 5 Jay Heath (6-3, 175, Fr., 12.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.4 spg)

SF — 1 Jairus Hamilton (6-8, 234, Soph., 9.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 apg)

PF — 0 CJ Felder (6-7, 230, Fr., 5.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.6 apg)

C — 41 Steffon Mitchell (6-8, 220, Jr., 7.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.3 spg, 1.0 bpg)

3.25: Offensive rebounds per game for junior post player Steffon Mitchell, which ranks second in the ACC.

15: Points scored for freshman guard Jay Heath in nine games. The Eagles went 7-2 in those nine contests, with Heath shooting 51 percent from the field and 49.1 percent on three-pointers.

18.3: Margin of defeat in Boston College’s eight ACC defeats.

Senior center Nik Popovic has started nine out of 18 games, but he’s a proven commodity.

The 6-11, 253-pounder from Bosnia & Herzegovina has reached 10-plus points in eight games. He had 23 points and went 3 of 5 on three-pointers in a 100-85 loss vs. Belmont on Nov. 16. He missed nine games due to a back injury.

Popovic had had some success against NC State in the past. he went 7 of 15 from the field for 18 points in the Wolfpack’s 89-80 overtime win Feb. 20, 2019. He had eight points in a 73-47 loss March 9.

BC went 1-1 against NC State in 2018, and Popovic had nine points and seven rebounds in a 82-66 Wolfpack win Feb. 20, 2018. He followed up with 15 points and seven rebounds in a 91-87 win over NC State in the ACC Tournament on March 7, 2018.

Funderburk and redshirt freshman center Manny Bates will guard Popovic. Funderburk is averaging 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game.

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