Tuesday marks the beginning of the 2018 ACC Tournament. For the second year in a row, the event will be held at the Brooklyn Nets’ six-year-old home, the Barclays Center. 12th-seeded Boston College men’s basketball (17-14, 7-11 Atlantic Coast) will face off against 13th-seeded Georgia Tech (13-18, 6-12) in what will be a rematch of the teams’ Feb. 4 overtime matchup. Since entering the conference in 2005, the Eagles are 8-12 in ACC Tournament games, but they haven’t advanced to the second round of play in three years. Interestingly enough, both of BC’s past two victories in the annual competition have come against the Yellow Jackets, including a 66-65 thriller back in 2015.
Who is BC playing?
Georgia Tech
When is BC playing?
Tuesday, March 6, 12 p.m.
Where is BC playing?
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
How to Watch:
The game will be aired on ESPN2 and the ACC Network, in addition to being broadcasted on the WEEI 850 AM radio station and available for livestream on WatchESPN.
By the Numbers:
BC:
1) The Eagles finished the regular season scoring an average of 75.8 points per game.
2) BC committed 18 turnovers against Florida State last time out, a game-high for the season.
3) The last time these two teams played, Jordan Chatman attempted 12 triples and tied Jerome Robinson with a team-high 19 points.
GT:
1) The Yellow Jackets have averaged four more points (34.6) in the second half than they have in the opening frame (30.6) this season.
2) In conference play, senior Ben Lammers led GT on the glass with 7.9 boards per game.
3) In the second half of the Yellow Jackets’ last outing against Wake Forest, freshman Evan Cole scored 10 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out two assists.
Last Meeting:
Just about a month ago, Ky Bowman scored eight points in overtime to secure a comeback victory, as BC rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to snap a three-game losing streak with an 80-72 win. The Eagles fell behind, 38-28, early in the second period, but strung together a 12-2 run that ignited their offense. BC outscored the Yellow Jackets, 27-10, over an 11-minute stretch toward the tail end of the game, which saw the Eagles go up seven with just eight minutes remaining in regulation. Yet, the Yellow Jackets responded impressively, working their way back to a four-point lead with 1:50 left in the game. BC needed someone to step up, and freshman Steffon Mitchell rose to the occasion, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer from the wing with 35 seconds left on the clock. In the extra frame, GT took a 72-71 lead with 2:19 to play, before the Eagles scored the final nine points of the period—six of which were tallied by Bowman.
BC wins if…
Jerome Robinson sustains his rich vein of current form, especially from beyond the arc. On Sunday, Robinson was named runner-up in the voting for the ACC’s Player of the Year award, receiving 14 votes from the 57 strong group of voters. In doing so, he was a near unanimous selection to the All-ACC First Team. His success has been built upon his prolific 3-point shooting, leading the league in 3-point field goal percentage by making 43.8 percent of his attempts and 44.5 percent against conference opponents. Whenever he’s on, BC has the chance to hang with anybody in the conference. That said, he’ll need Bowman and Chatman to hit their fair share of shots, especially if Mitchell has to sit this one out with the hamstring contusion that kept him out against Florida State last Saturday.
BC loses if…
It fails to limit GT’s own superstar, Josh Okogie. The guard leads his team with 18.4 points per game both on the season and in conference play. Selected to the All-ACC Third Team this season, the 6-foot-4 sophomore has the height and athleticism to play at any perimeter position. Okogie is posting 19.8 points per game in ACC victories this season and averaging 2.3 fewer in conference losses. When held to 15 or fewer points, GT is just 1-4. But when Okogie puts the ball on the floor, the Yellow Jackets are anything but a pushover.
Featured Image by Tiger Tao / Heights Staff
