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Men’s Basketball vs. Hartford: Game Preview

By Katie Bent
NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament-Clemson vs Boston College Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports

BC men’s basketball (9-2) is back in action this afternoon for a New Year’s Eve matinee vs. the Hartford Hawks (6-8) in the final non-conference matchup of the season. It’s critical for the Eagles to grab that tenth win today with the grueling ACC scheduling kicking off later this week. Last time out, BC made a gritty come back to edge out DePaul in Chicago. Hartford, meanwhile, is coming off 65-56 win against Marist.

How To Watch

This game tips off at 1PM in Conte Forum and can be streamed on ACCNE. You can also follow along with BC IMG radio and follow @BCInterruption on twitter for live updates.

Keys to the Game

  1. Dominate the boards. This Hartford team has struggled with rebounding the ball so far this season, ranking 330th in D1 in offensive rebounding. BC should be able to take advantage of their size and own the glass, limiting the Hawks to one shot per possession and cleaning up their own misses with put backs.
  2. Use the bench. Establish an early lead and let the bench take over. There have been too many nagging injuries to key starters so far this year. This is a good opportunity to keep everyone rested and healthy for conference play.
  3. Don’t look ahead. Easier said than done, with #9 Virginia Tech and #2 Virginia looming on the schedule, but this is a must win to get the team to 10-2 going into the new year. Take care of business and turn to those next opponents after the win.

Hartford Hawk to Watch

Keep an eye on the 6’8” senior forward George Blagojevic (#4). While the team as a whole has been poor on the glass, Blagodevic is averaging close to a double double at 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this year. He managed 11 boards against Duke (in a 30-point loss) earlier this year. Popovic and company will need to neutralize him this afteroon.

Predictions

Our basketball crew is still recovering from the Christmas holidays, so I’ll give you my lone prediction today. BC takes care of business with a 78-65 win today. ESPN agrees, listing BC as a -11.5 favorite.

Enjoy the game, and go Eagles!

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