Boston College vs. Pitt: Final Thoughts & Predictions
Boston College looks to return to the win column on Saturday, as they hit the road to face the Pitt Panthers. This is a game between two programs trying to stay out of the bottom of ACC, as both have been projected to finish at or near the bottom. Boston College has one ACC win (Notre Dame), while Pitt has had some close calls, most recently against Louisville, but remain without a conference win.
The Eagles are in the midst of a challenging month that included a bad loss to Albany, two games postponed due to COVID-19, and then UNC embarrassed them last Saturday at Conte Forum. BC needs to figure something out as the last two games have shown a team that is inconsistent, and not deep.
Time: Saturday, 4:00 pm
Where: Petersen Center, Pittsburgh
TV: RSN (NESN)
Radio: WEEI 850
Current Line: Pitt (-4)
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Boston College has a 41.0% chance of winning this game
Ken Pom Ratings: Boston College (144) Pitt (165)
Tale of the Tape: Via BCEagles.com
Projected Staters: Makai Ashton Langford, Demarr Langford, Quinten Post, James Karnik, Jaeden Zackery
Series: Boston College is 20-35 all-time vs. Pittsburgh, and 2-6 against the Panthers in ACC play. Pitt won their last meeting 74-72 in 2020, last year's game was cancelled due to COVID
Players to Watch: John Hugley, Forward. A 6'9 physical forward, Hugley is fresh off a 11 points 7 rebound game against Louisville. Boston College has struggled against good interior players, giving up 34 points in the paint last game against UNC, and 10 second chance points. James Karnik, TJ Bickerstaff and Quinten Post will need to have a solid game defensively to slow Hugley down.
Podcast: We previewed Saturday's game on our most recent episode
Three Storylines Entering The Game
1. Finding Time For Gianni. Boston College's bench depth has been very short all season, and four star freshman Gianni Thompson has not been part of the rotation. He saw some playing time against UNC, hitting two threes once the blow out was on. It seems like Earl Grant is easing him into the season, but getting a body that can score would be a huge addition for the Eagles.
2. Clean Up The Mess. Grant made no excuses after Saturday's bad loss to UNC, even though the team had been off for two weeks due to COVID-19. BC was sloppy on both ends, struggling to find anything on offense, and failing to close out on defense. There are multiple facets they struggled with, but the level of play overall needs to improve.
3. Figure Out An Identity on Offense. For the most part BC has been able to assert themselves defensively, playing well against everyone other than UNC. However on the offensive side, we still haven't seen it yet. Who is the Eagles go to scorer? Offensive sets, how can they consistently get them going quicker? The defense should be able to keep BC in games, but the offense needs to start showing up to win them.
AJ's Fearless Prediction: Boston College has yet to win a game on the road, and Pitt should be a team that on paper the Eagles should beat. But Pitt has been a better team of late, narrowly losing to a good Louisville team and Notre Dame. It's tough to pick the Eagles given the way they played last Saturday. While it is completely possible they fix some issues and play better, it's hard to pick Grant's squad at this point. Should be a close game, but going with the Panthers on Saturday. Pittsburgh 73 Boston College 66
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