Virginia Cavaliers vs Boston College Eagles Prediction & Match Preview - January 9, 2021 | NCAA Men's Basketball
The No. 22 Virginia Cavaliers will fly into Massachusetts to take on a conference-rival, the Boston College Eagles.
The Eagles will be looking to avoid losing five straight games to ranked opponents. Their last win against a team ranked in the AP Top-25 Poll came against the Cavaliers in January 2020.
Match Details
Fixture: Virginia Cavaliers vs Boston College Eagles - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Saturday, January 9th, 2021, 2 PM ET
Venue: Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Virginia Cavaliers Preview
The Virginia Cavaliers are coming off a nine-point victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to improve to 2-0 in the ACC.
The Cavaliers have been getting most of their productions from their three upperclassmen starters, Sam Hauser, Jay Huff, and Trey Murphy III. The three of them have accumulated over 50 percent of the team's points this season.
Look for the Virginia Cavaliers' experience to significantly impact the game against the Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
Key Player - Sam Hauser
Sam Hauser is the key player for the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday. The senior forward scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half against Wake Forest on Wednesday night.
On the year, Hauser has been a streaky shooter producing a field goal percentage as a high as 53.8 percent and as low as 27.3 percent.
If the Marquette transfer can have a strong shooting night against the Boston College Eagles, the Cavaliers will move to 3-0 in the ACC.
Virginia Cavaliers Predicted Lineup
F Sam Hauser, F Jay Huff, G Kihei Clark, G Trey Murphy III, G Casey Morsell
Boston College Eagles Preview
The Boston College Eagles are coming off a loss to the No. 21 Duke Blue Devils, where they were edged off late, dropping to 0-4 in conference play.
The Eagles only have themselves to blame for the loss against the Blue Devils. They were sloppy with the ball all night and gave up 21 turnovers. Here is what Boston College coach, Jim Christain, had to say when asked about his teams' poor decision making,
When you turn it over 21 times at Cameron, it's tough to win, especially when I thought we had a pretty good rhythm on offense the whole night. We've just got to get a little stronger with the ball.
The Eagles will need to be more disciplined with the ball on Saturday as the Virginia Cavaliers, according to kenpom.com, are ranked sixteenth in defensive efficiency, and they will make BC pay if the sloppiness continues.
Key Player - CJ Felder
CJ Felder is coming off a 24-point performance where he went 10-of-13 from the field.
If the Boston College Eagles are going to bounce back after losing six of their last seven games, the sophomore forward will need to continue to convert at a high rate from the field.
Boston College Eagles Predicted Lineup
F Steffon Mitchell, F CJ Felder, C Rich Kelly, G Jay Heath, G DeMarr Langford Jr.
Virginia vs Boston College Prediction
The Virginia Cavaliers will have no issues with the Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon and go to 7-2 on the year.
The Eagles have shown that they can lack focus on offense and turn the ball over at a high rate. Expect the Cavaliers' experience to turn defense into offense by taking advantage of the Boston College turnovers.
Where to watch Virginia vs Boston College
The game will be broadcasted live on the ACC Network.