Virginia Basketball vs. Boston College Game Preview, Score Prediction

No. 7 Virginia looks to extend its current winning streak to six games and continue to push towards the top of the ACC standings as Boston College comes to Charlottesville on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles have won each of their last two games, but haven't won at John Paul Jones Arena since 2011.

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Boston College, including details on the game, an opponent scouting report, game notes, and a score prediction.

Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (15-3, 7-2 ACC) vs. Boston College Eagles (10-11, 4-6 ACC)

When: Saturday, January 28th at 12pm ET

Where: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA

How to watch: ACC Regional Sports Networks

How to stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)

How to listen: SiriusXM 84, SXM App 84 | Virginia Sports Radio Network - click here for affiliates

All-time series: Virginia leads 18-8

Last meeting: Virginia defeated Boston College 67-55 on February 1st, 2022 in Charlottesville.

Opponent Scouting Report: Boston College

2022-2023: 10-11, 4-6 (11th in ACC)
Notable results: at Duke 75-59 L, Villanova 77-56 L, Virginia Tech 70-65 W, at Syracuse 79-65 L, Notre Dame 70-63 W, Duke 65-64 L, at Miami 88-72 L, Wake Forest 86-63 L, at North Carolina 72-64 L, at Notre Dame 84-72 W, Louisville 75-65 W

In year 2 under Earl Grant, Boston College got off to a solid 5-2 start before enduring a four-game losing skid at the beginning of December. A 70-65 win over Virginia Tech on December 21st temporarily got things back on track, but the Eagles then lost five of their next six ACC contests, including a brutal one-point home loss to Duke on January 7th. At 10-11 overall and 4-6 in ACC play, Boston College currently sits at 11th in the ACC standings with more tough games ahead as the Eagles are set to play Virginia twice this season and still have games against Clemson, NC State, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest remaining on the schedule.

Still, the Eagles have been playing better basketball recently and much of that has to do with the resurgence of Quinten Post, a 7'0", 250-pound senior from the Netherlands. Post missed the first 13 games of the season with a foot injury he suffered just before the start of the season. He has given Boston College a massive lift since his return, scoring in double figures in seven of his eight games and earning a spot in the starting lineup. Post is Boston College's leading scorer at 15.3 points per game and also leads the team in rebounding at 6.4 boards per game. He can stretch the floor at 44.4% from three on 18 attempts so far this season. The last two games have been phenomenal for Post, averaging 25.5 points in Boston College's two victories over Notre Dame and Louisville, including a 29-point, 14-rebound double-double in the Eagles' road win over the Fighting Irish last Saturday. As Virginia has opted for more small-ball lineups which has resulted in less playing time for Kadin Shedrick, the challenge of defending Quinten Post could present an opportunity for Shedrick to earn his way back onto the court if Post proves to be too much for UVA's small-ball lineups to handle.

Boston College returns the brother tandem of Makai Ashton-Langford and DeMarr Langford Jr. in the back court. Ashton-Langford, a 6'3" graduate guard, flirted with the NBA at the end of last year, but decided to come back for a fifth season of college basketball. He has played in 130 career games and is having his best season yet, averaging 12.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. His younger brother DeMarr Langford Jr. provides good size as a 6'5" junior guard. Lanford Jr. averages 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Neither Makai nor DeMarr are good three-point shooters, but are talented playmaking guards capable of creating and making their own shots.

Rounding out the back court is 6'2" sophomore guard Jaeden Zackery. His numbers are mostly the same across the board as his freshman season, averaging 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, but his field goal percentages have fallen off as his volume has increased. Zackery is now shooting just 39.5% from the floor after shooting 46.3% from the field as a freshman and is just 30.2% from three this season after registering a blistering 47.7% three-point percentage as a freshman. Zackery is a solid defender with a nose for the ball, totaling 34 steals so far this season, but turnovers have been a problem for both Zackery (44 turnovers) and Makai Ashton-Langford (40 turnovers). Boston College has the second-worst assist/turnover ratio in the ACC at 0.96 (11.4 assists per game to 11.9 turnovers per game).

6'7" freshman wing Prince Aligbe completes the starting five, averaging 6.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and gives the Eagles a versatile player to use at multiple positions on the floor. 6'9" senior forward T.J. Bickerstaff started the first 17 games of the season, but has started to come off the bench since the return of Quinten Post. Bickerstaff is averaging 5.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Boston College's roster has some quality depth, giving the Eagles some additional options especially in the front court. 6'7" graduate forward CJ Penha Jr. averages 7.8 points per game off the bench and is shooting 53.0% from the field. Penha can also stretch the floor a little bit at 34.8% from three-point range. Boston College also brings 6'7" redshirt freshman forward Devin McGlockton (6.2 ppg) and 6'4" junior guard Mason Madsen (5.3 ppg) off the bench.

Boston College is 7th in the ACC in scoring defense at 69.5 points per game allowed, but has just the 14th-ranked offense in the ACC at 66.3 points per game. The Eagles are the ACC's worst three-point shooting team at 29.7% from three and they also have the worst three-point shooting defense, allowing their opponents to shoot 38.2% from three this season. Against a Virginia team that ranks first in the ACC in team three-point shooting at 38.8%, creating and making open shots on the perimeter will be the key to victory for the Cavaliers on Saturday.

Game Notes

Virginia is 18-8 all-time against Boston College and has won each of the last three games against the Eagles.
UVA is 10-2 against Boston College in Charlottesville and comes into this game with a seven-game winning streak against the Eagles at John Paul Jones Arena.
Tony Bennett is 12-5 against Boston College as a head coach.
Armaan Franklin is 10 points away from surpassing 1,000 career points.
Kihei Clark is eight starts away from becoming UVA's all-time leader in games started and is 40 assists away from passing John Crotty for first on Virginia's all-time assists list.
Virginia is currently second in the ACC standings at 7-2 in conference play, trailing only Clemson at 9-1.
Virginia is 9-1 in home games this season and holds a 225-54 (.807) home record over 17 seasons at John Paul Jones Arena.

Prediction

No opponent in the ACC should be taken lightly. Boston College has the talent to make this matchup interesting and the Cavaliers should expect the Eagles to make them earn this victory. With that said, a solid performance from Virginia on Saturday should result in a comfortable win for the Cavaliers, especially at home, where they have won each of the last seven meetings against the Eagles. Boston College's three-point defense has been a weakness all season long and the ACC's best three-point shooting team should be able to exploit that to the tune of a thorough and convincing victory on Saturday.

Score prediction: Boston College 63, Virginia 76

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