What To Watch For Vs. Boston College
Making a momentary stop at home to take on the #2 Duke Blue Devils, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-8, 2-3 ACC) find themselves going back on the road yet again this weekend. Continuing conference play, the Yellow Jackets will travel up to Chestnut Hill, MA this Saturday to face the Boston College Eagles (9-6, 3-1 ACC). Tip is set for 6:00pm EST and can be viewed on the ACC Network.
Here are a couple of the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Tech's 28th all-time matchup with the Eagles:
On A Roll
If there's any testament to the strength of the Atlantic Coast Conference as a basketball power, Boston College could be an example of that. According to KenPom.com, the Eagles are currently the worst team in the league (131st in Adjusted Efficiency Margin), coupled with the the league's worst offense (230th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency).
With that being said they are currently 3-1 in league play, good for 5th place in the ACC. They have won 5 of their last 6 games, including a narrow victory against Notre Dame in South Bend, and most recently a victory at home against the defending national champion Virginia Cavaliers.
Against UVA, Boston College did not allow Virginia's style of play to get the better of them. Instead of Virginia displaying suffocating defense, BC held the Hoos to just 32.7% from the field while the Eagles themselves shot 44.7%, including 47.6% in the second half.
Next Man Up
As of late, the injury bug has paid a visit to Chestnut Hill much like it did earlier this season. Starting forward senior Nik Popovic has missed the last 6 games due to a back injury and grad transfer guard Derryck Thornton sat out against Virginia with an ankle injury.
In 9 games, Popovic is third on the team in scoring (11.8 PPG) and second on the team in rebounding (5.9 RPG). Thornton's presence, or lack thereof is felt just a tad more, as he leads BC in both scoring (13.3 PPG) and assists (3.4 APG).
While the Eagles are undoubtedly a better team with both on the floor, BC is 5-1 in the 6 games that Popovic has missed, also winning against UVA in the one game where Thornton was absent.
Prowling The Paint
Hauling in a career high 15 rebounds and coming just 1 block shy of tying his career mark against Duke, senior center James Banks III has performed much better as of late after experiencing a bit of a lull prior to the new year. He'll have to continue to perform at a high level, as he will be matched up with yet another top tier ACC big man.
Junior forward Steffon Mitchell might average just 6.9 points per game, but he has certainly carved his niche. On the offensive side he has developed into BC's cleanup guy, hauling in the most offensive rebounds in the ACC (3.4 oRPG) and is second on there team in assists (45). Defensively, he is a force to be reckoned with down low. He leads the ACC in steals (2.4 SPG) and leads BC in blocks (17).
While Banks III seemed to be the more dominant big man when going up against the potential Player of the Year in Vernon Carey, Jr., he will have to not get complacent when playing opposite of Mitchell.
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