Irish eye up Eagles in ACC action

South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) – Coming off just their third loss of the season, the 10th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish return to the friendly confines of the Purcell Pavilion, as they play host to the Boston College Eagles in ACC action on Wednesday.

Mike Brey’s squad had won five straight games, including a marquee victory over fourth-ranked Duke last week, but the streak ended with Saturday’s surprising 76-72 loss at Pittsburgh. With the setback, Notre Dame fell to 20-3 on the season and 8-2 in conference play. Still, it is the best start for Notre Dame since going 20-3 during the 1978-79 campaign. The Irish are a stellar 14-1 at home this year.

Jim Christian’s Eagles have logged some serious miles of late, as this represents the team’s fourth road game in the last five outings. Boston College has lost two straight and four of its last five games and now sits at 9-11 overall and a dismal 1-7 in the ACC. The team most recently dropped a 64-49 decision at Clemson on Saturday.

Notre Dame holds a 13-10 advantage in the all-time series with Boston College and has won three straight meetings and eight of the last 10 overall. These two teams will meet again in Chestnut Hill on Feb. 21.

Clemson opened the game against Boston College with a 27-10 run and the Eagles were unable to recover. The first half was particularly dreadful, as BC managed to shoot just .261 from the floor and scored a meager 16 points in the first 20 minutes of action. Aaron Brown and Olivier Hanlan led the way offensively for the Eagles, with 15 points each. No other player contributed more than seven points for BC in the loss.

Big offensive numbers have eluded the Eagles this season, despite Hanlan continuing to produce. Boston College is averaging a modest 64.2 ppg on just .432 shooting and that’s with Hanlan ranking sixth in the ACC with 16.4 ppg. Brown is the only other legitimate scoring option on the roster, as he comes in with 14.8 ppg (ninth in the ACC), thanks in large part to his team-high 41 3-pointers.

Bouncing back from a loss is not something the Irish have grown accustomed to this season, but that is the team’s current plight, after coming up short against Pittsburgh last weekend. Notre Dame shot an impressive .531 from the floor, but allowed the Panthers to deliver on a scorching .585, the most efficient performance against the Irish all season long. Notre Dame did place four players in double figures in the loss, led by Demetrius Jackson’s 15 points. Jerian Grant was right behind with 14 points, while Zach Auguste and Steve Vasturia checked in with 12 points apiece.

Offensive proficiency has been the norm in South Bend this season, as the Irish rank second nationally in field-goal percentage, while racking up an ACC-best 81.2 ppg. The team is also shooting over 40 percent from behind the arc and makes 8.8 3-pointers per game. Grant is bucking for All-America honors and is a serious candidate for National Player of the Year, as the senior guard is fourth in the ACC in scoring (17.3 ppg) and first in assists (6.3 apg). Auguste and Pat Connaughton are tied for second on the team in scoring with 13.6 ppg each, while Jackson chimes in at 13.3 ppg. Despite being just 6- foot-5, Connaughton is sixth in the ACC with 8.4 rpg.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball