Boston College Men’s Basketball vs. Georgia Tech: Preview and Predictions

The Eagles will take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (13-18, 6-12 ACC) in the first round of ACC Tournament play in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 12PM. The winner will advance to the second round tomorrow afternoon to face North Carolina State.

Stat Comparison

Points per game: GT 65.3, BC 75.8

Rebounds per game: GT 33.8, BC 36.9

Field Goal Percentage: GT 42.7, BC 45.1%

Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: GT 104.8 (189^th), BC 113.2 (57^th)

Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: GT 99.5 (62^nd), BC 103.0 (123^rd)

Keys to the Game

1. Get off to a strong start. BC is the slight favorite (-2 on ESPN as of this writing), has already beaten Georgia Tech once, and the Jackets have been prone to streaks of sloppy play this season. BC needs to jump out and take control of the game early and hope that Georgia Tech gets rattled.

2. Contain Josh Okogie. The sophomore guard leads the team in minutes and scoring, and averages over 6 rebounds per game. BC’s defense has been up and own this year, but has had some success lately mixing in the zone. The whole team will need to step up and play with intensity to lock down Okogie and keep Georgia Tech off balance.

3. Bench players stepping up. It is unclear whether Steffon Mitchell (hamstring) or Luka Kraljevic (possible concussion) will be able to play this afternoon. This means the Eagles will need quality minutes from Johncarlos Reyes, Vin Baker Jr., and/or Ervins Meznieks. They do not need to put up huge stat lines, just limit mistakes and stay out of foul trouble.

4. Spotlight Ky and Jerome. Time for these All-ACC Eagles to soar.

Predictions

Katie: 76-66 BC

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