Boston College vs. #24 Notre Dame: Final Thoughts & Predictions

The Boston College Eagles will look to end their recent losing skid against #24 Notre Dame on Wednesday night. The Eagles fresh off a loss to Duke, will look to make it three wins in a row against the Fighting Irish dating back to last season. But it won't be easy, ND has been one of the hottest teams in the country winning 14 out of their last 16 games. BC will hopefully get Quinten Post back, who missed last game due to illness, but the status of forward TJ Bickerstaff, who was injured against the Blue Devils remains an unknown.

Dane Goodwin

14.8 points per game, and 20 points in his last game against Clemson

Time: Wednesday, 7:00pm

Where: Joyce Center, South Bend
TV: ESPNU
Radio: WEEI 850
Current Line: Notre Dame (-9), over/under of 130.5
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Boston College has a 11.9% chance of winning this game

Ken Pom Ratings: Boston College (154) Notre Dame (58)

Tale of the Tape

Via BCeagles.com

Projected Staters: Makai Ashton Langford, Demarr Langford, TJ Bickerstaff, James Karnik, Jaeden Zackery

Series History:

Injury Updates

TJ Bickerstaff missed the end of the Duke game with a sprained calf, his status for tonight is unknown

Series History: Boston College is 13-26 all-time vs. Notre Dame.. The Eagles won their matchup earlier this season 73-57 at Conte Forum. Last season the Eagles and Irish split their regular season series. ND took an 80-70 win at the Joyce Center on Jan.16. BC downed Notre Dame, 94-90, at home on Feb. 27.

Player to Watch: Paul Atkinson

Notre Dame Forward

The health of TJ Bickerstaff will certainly be something to watch as they are going to need some one to step up to the Yale transfer. Atkinson can do it all, as he showcased last week when he scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.

Statistic of Note: Boston College has a chance to win its third straight game vs. Notre Dame tonight - for the first time in 25 years.

Three Keys to the Game

1. Defensive Intensity: The Eagles flustered the normally sure handed Fighting Irish in their last matchup, forcing 11 turnovers, while holding them to just 57 points. BC will be in great shape if they can hold a team like Notre Dame who average 70ppg to that kind of game again.

2. Don't Let The Road Atmosphere Dictate Game. The Eagles are 1-7 in games on the road this year, with their lone victory coming against Clemson. BC's tendency to fall behind early after slow starts, and trying to roar back is much harder on the road, where all the energy is against them. BC came out sharp against ND last time, and never trailed, a strong start could take the crowd out of the game.

3. Get Bigs Rolling. There is no secret that Boston College is not dangerous shooting beyond the arc. If the Eagles are trying to win games by shooting deep, they tend to end up losing. The games where James Karnik or Quinten Post get going early are the matchups BC tends to play best, as it opens up more on the perimeter.

Name to Watch: James Karnik

Last time against Notre Dame, the BC big man had 17 points and 13 rebounds

AJ's Fearless Prediction: Notre Dame is about as red hot as it gets, but could they get caught looking ahead to their big matchup against Wake Forest this weekend? Probably not, but Boston College played their most complete game against the Irish last time out, maybe they can pull off the magic again? Or maybe they just keep it close enough to cover. Notre Dame 73 Boston College 66

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