Preview: Pitt Ends Regular Season vs. Boston College

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers suffered their third four-game losing streak of the season after a 71-63 defeat at the hands of NC State on the road on March 5. Sophomore guard Jaland Lowe led the Panthers with 20 points, but it wasn't enough to lead the team out of a rut.

The Panthers are comfortably inside the field of the ACC Tournament, with 15 of the 18 teams in the conference qualifying. Ideally, the Panthers get a win heading into the post season to gain some momentum.

Pitt's opponent in the regular season finale is the Boston College Eagles.

Preview: Pitt vs Boston College

The Eagles head into the contest with a 12-18 record overall and a 4-15 record, the second-worst in the ACC. However, two of those wins have come in their last five games.

If the Eagles don't take down the Panthers on Saturday, it will be their worst record in their four seasons under head coach Earl Grant.

Sophomore guard Donald Hand Jr. leads Boston College with 15.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in 33 minutes per game.

Hand is in his third season with the Eagles, but didn't find his role until his second year. The Virginia Beach, Va. native played in 34 games last season, averaging five points per game. Now, he's the focal point of the Eagles offense.

He has led the Eagles in scoring in all but three of their wins. One of their few victories in the ACC came with a 31-point, nine-rebound outburst from him in a 77-76 home win over Florida State on Feb 1.

Standing at six-foot-five, Hand is the definition of a three-level scorer. He takes half of his shot attempts from deep, shooting 37.8%, and also attempts five free throws per game. Hand also shoots 87.4% from the charity stripe.

The only other member of the Eagles roster who averages double figures is graduate student forward Chad Venning at 12.5 points.

Venning spent the first two seasons of his career at Morgan State but found major success in the next two seasons at St. Bonaventure. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native started all but three games and averaged well over 12 points in those two campaigns.

Standing at six-foot-nine and now with the Eagles, Venning is an inside scoring threat and defensive presence that other teams have to plan for, leading the Eagles with 1.6 blocks per game — more than half the Eagles' blocks per game. The match-up against the Panthers will serve as Venning's 136th career start.

Junior guard Dion Brown is another major contributor Grant acquired through the transfer portal. Last season, Brown averaged 19 points per game as a full-time starter at UMBC. Now in his first season with the Eagles, Brown averages 7.4 points and 3.9 boards in his 25.5 minutes per game.

No Eagle is a stand-out facilitator. Boston College only records 11.4 assists per game, but senior guard Joshua Beadle leads the Eagles with his two per contest. He's averaging a career high six points per game after finding a minor role the last two seasons at Clemson.

As a team, the Panthers score more and allow less points, shoot better from the field and force more turnovers than the Eagles. However, both teams are on multi-game losing streaks. The Eagles' last win was a 69-54 domination over Georgia Tech at home on Feb. 22, a team the Panthers lost to at home.

Lowe has succeeded in scoring for Pitt when the team needs it the most, but he's rarely scored efficiently all season. Senior guard Ishmael Leggett has scored at a higher clip the last 10 games than Lowe, but the duo takes turns throughout the game. It's hard to say who will show up in the regular season finale.

Pitt will also honor their graduating players on Senior Night. This includes graduate student guard Damian Dunn, redshirt senior forward Zack Austin, Leggett and junior forward Vason Stevenson.

How to Watch: Pitt vs. Boston College

Pitt vs Boston College tips off at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA at 6:00 p.m. on Mar. 8. The game will be broadcasted on ACC Network.

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