Competing in its first non-conference game since a Dec. 23 win over Richmond, Boston College men’s basketball will take on Dartmouth before facing strictly ACC teams the rest of the regular season. After playing ranked opponents in three of their last four games, the Eagles (11-6, 2-3 Atlantic Coast) will face a much different test against in the Big Green (4-9, 0-1 Ivy League), who have struggled most of the season.
Who is BC playing?
Dartmouth
When is BC playing?
Friday, Jan. 13, 1 p.m.
Where is BC playing?
Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
How to Watch/Listen:
The game can be watched on ACC Network Extra and heard on the radio via WEEI 850 AM.
By the Numbers:
BC:
1) The Eagles are 7-0 when playing at home this season against non-conference opponents.
2) Steffon Mitchell ranks 10th in the ACC in rebounds per game after a 10-board performance against UNC.
3) In his last four non-conference games, Jordan Chatman has averaged 19.8 points per game, while scoring just 12.6 points per game against ACC opponents.
Dartmouth:
1) In their last outing—a 13-point loss to Vermont on Wednesday—the Big Green recorded seven second-half 3-pointers on 11 attempts.
2) All of Dartmouth’s starters average double-digits in scoring, but none are posting more than 13 points per game.
3)The Big Green are 1-7 when playing on the road this season, the only win being a seven-point victory over Maine.
Last Meeting:
Despite being in the Ivy League, the Big Green are no strangers to BC, as the two teams will be meeting for the 30th time since the 1904-05 season. Last season, the Eagles downed Dartmouth, 88-70. Jerome Robinson provided 27 points for BC, while Jordan Chatman scored 12 of his own.
BC wins if…
It can outrebound Dartmouth. The Eagles’ weakness on the glass was exposed against North Carolina, and a struggling Big Green team will be looking to take advantage of any BC shortcomings in order to pull off the upset win. The Dartmouth frontcourt—composed of 6-foot-9 Will Emery and 6-foot-6 Aaryn Rai—is not particularly daunting, so if BC’s Nik Popovic, Steffon Mitchell, and Luka Kraljevic can set the tone early, the Eagles will have a good chance to put the game out of reach by halftime.
BC loses if…
It loses the 3-point battle by a significant margin. Robinson and Chatman have been praised all season for their dominance behind the arc, but if the team shoots the way it did against North Carolina—12-of-33 from deep—the Eagles will be looking inside the paint for baskets. Granted, Dartmouth is a very different team from the Tar Heels, but as the underdog, the Big Green will be heaving up shots from long-range all day long. In its only other game against a Power-Five team, a double-digit loss to Notre Dame, Dartmouth made a season-high 15 triples on 32 attempts. The Big Green will need a similar output from its shooters if it wants to compete with BC.
Featured Image Kaitlin Meeks / Heights Editor
