College Basketball
- Matchup: #2 Duke Blue Devils (19-2, 7-1 ACC) vs. Boston College Eagles (11-9, 2-6 ACC)
- Date: Feb. 5th, 2019
- Time: 7:00 pm
- Network: ESPN
- Location: Durham, North Carolina
- Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium
- Seating Capacity: 9,314
The Key Matchup
Duke takes on Boston College on Tuesday night in a matchup of elite guards. BC’s Ky Bowman versus Duke’s Tre Jones will be a matchup to watch across the country and will ultimately be the key to win for both squads.
About the Opponent
Boston College has struggled this year after guard Jerome Robinson left for the NBA. Regardless of their below average conference record, Bowman has shown BC’s opponents that they shouldn’t be counted out. The junior guard is third in the ACC in scoring with 20.8 points per game while also grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game, and dishing out a team leading 3.5 assists per game. With numbers like these, Boston College has the potential to pull off an upset in every game. The Eagles also see double figure scoring from senior Jordan Chatman (13.9 PPG) and junior Nik Popovic (13.8 PPG). Unfortunately for Head Coach Jim Christian, freshman Wynston Tabbs (13.9 PPG) is injured and will not play. As a team, Boston College scores a respectable 74.1 points per game while shooting 44.5% from the field.
As for the defensive side of the court, the Eagles allow 72.9 points per game while letting opponents shoot 42.3% from the field. They average 5.6 steals per game, and as a team, force just 11.8 turnovers per game. They lack a legitimate rim protector and block just 3.1 shots per game. By no means can Boston College be considered an elite defensive team, and it would be hard to imagine Duke struggling to score against them.
The Starters
Boston College
Guard – #0 Ky Bowman
Guard – #3 Jared Hamilton
Small Forward – #25 Jordan Chatman
Forward – #41 Steffon Mitchell
Center – #21 Nik Popovic
Duke
Point Guard – #3 Tre Jones
Shooting Guard – #2 Cam Reddish
Small Forward – #5 RJ Barrett
Power Forward – #1 Zion Williamson
Center – #20 Marques Bolden
Prediction
Boston College does not have the defense to stop Duke, and they also lack scoring on offense to keep pace. To make matters worse, the Eagles are without their second leading scorer and best ball handler behind Ky Bowman. Tre Jones just shut down one of the nations best scorers in Shamorie Ponds like it was nothing, and I expect the same when he matches up with Ky Bowman. Once Bowman is shut down, Boston College has little to no offense. Duke will go on a early run powered by Jones’ defense. Good luck stopping Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett without elite rim protection.
Duke: 88
Boston College: 65
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