Boston College vs. Saint Louis: Preview and Predictions

Boston College (6-3) hit the road to take on A10 challenger Saint Louis (7-2) on Saturday. The Eagles have been off for over a week after defeating Notre Dame in the first game of the ACC schedule. Saint Louis have lost their last two games, falling to Belmont and UAB. For Earl Grant's team, this will be a big game, and another big test as the Eagles have yet to win a game on the road or on a neutral court.

Time: Saturday, 6:00 pm

Where: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis (MO)
TV: NBC Sports Network
Radio: WEEI 850
Current Line: N/A (will be released Friday evening, or Saturday)
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Saint Louis has a 79% chance of winning this game

Ken Pom Ratings: Boston College (115) Saint Louis (89)

Tale of the Tape (Via BCEagles.com):

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

Series History: Boston College is 1-3 all time against SLU, last time out they lost to the Billikens 64-54 in the 2019 Gotham Classic.

Injury Updates: Brevin Galloway is out after having miniscus surgery. On his Twitter page he said that he plans to be back in January

Player to Watch: Gibson Jimerson. The Billikens leading scorer, Jimerson is shooting 41% from 3-pt this season. He has scored 15 or more points in all but two games this season, while scoring 21 or more points in two out of his last three.

Interesting Statistic: Boston College is 164-162 all time against other Jesuit schools.

Three Points of Emphasis

Continue to lock down on threes: BC has been strong defending against the three point shot this year, holding opposing squads to 31% shooting. As a team SLU shoots about 40% from the line. BC needs to continue their strong defense beyond the arc, and overall defense which has held opponents to 55 points per game the last three games to grab a win on the road.

Limit Errors: One of the most concerning stats for the Eagles is their turnover margin which is just .9 (SLU is 4.8). On the road BC has turned the ball over frequently, and this has let games like the URI matchups get away from them. BC needs to be careful, and prevent careless turnovers.

Karnik/Post Show: Over the last four games. James Karnik is averaging 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds, and was dominant against Notre Dame. Post, has 8.7ppg with 4.7rpg, giving BC a true pair of big men to match anyone on their schedule. The Eagles are going to be tough to beat if the pair continues to play this well.

AJ's Fearless Prediction: Grant's squad has done a solid job so far of doing the unexpected, and Saturday's game will be another big challenge. BC has yet to win a game on the road, and the Billikens are as formidable as Utah/URI who both took care of the Eagles on neutral/road courts. That being said, BC is playing with confidence right now, and SLU has lost two in a row. BC will make it three wins in a row, with a close win on Saturday. Boston College 68 SLU 65