Boston College Men’s Basketball: Previewing DePaul and How to Watch

Coming off a down-to-the wire win over Eastern Washington, the road does not get any easier for BC as they welcome the DePaul Blue Demons into Conte Forum. BC is still holding teams to under 40% shooting and forcing 19 turnovers per game. However, the Eagles are still committing 14.6 turnovers per game themselves and the golden word for this team so far this year has been consistency. BC has looked great in stretches and they’ve looked sloppy in stretches. To beat DePaul, BC will need to play their best basketball for a complete 40 minutes.

Where

Conte Forum

When

November 23^rd, 2019

12 pm

How to Watch

ACC Network Extra.

This will be a tricky game to watch as it will streamed on the ACC network extra (ACCNX), which is pretty much a streaming service only channel. It is actually a part of ESPN’s larger network. ACCNX is available for streaming on Hulu Live TV which you can get on device such as Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices. It is also available on Sling TV which is available on devices such as Amazon Fire TVs, Android Fire Stick, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, and iOS and Android devices. This link will take to the ESPN page that streams ACC network extra https://www.espn.com/watch/?type=livenow&channel=accextra&sport=tennis.

How to Listen

WEEI 850 AM

Previewing DePaul

For a long time DePaul has been the doormat of the Big East but things may be different this year as the Blue Demons are off to a 5-0 start. The last two games have been DePaul’s best with victories over Iowa and Cornell, both by double digit scores. As a team DePaul has been outscoring its opponents by an average of 18 points a game, scoring 78.8 points per game while only giving up 60. The team’s advantage in rebounding is not as large at only +4.4 but in terms of blocks, steals, assists, and field goal percentage the Blue Demons are dominating their opponents. The good news for BC is that the Blue Demons are not a very good free throw shooting team, shooting only 58.8 percent while their opponents are averaging 69.8 percent.

Players to Watch Out For

Paul Reed has been the leader of Blue Demons the last two years and this season doesn’t appear to be any different. Reed is one the team’s big bodies at 6’9”, 220 pounds but he’s also one of the team’s big producers. Reed leads the team in points, rebounds, blocks, and three-point percentage. He’s also third on the team in field goal percentage and second in free-throw percentage. Reed will be a handful for BC’s front court. Steffon Mitchell will likely be the man that Christian asks to try and guard Reed with, perhaps, some help from Nik Popovic.

How Does BC Win?

Limit sloppy turnovers while the guards stay hot. When BC’s offense is clicking it can really be something to watch. This rhythm is interrupted far too often by bad passes or mishandling of the basketball. BC’s offense is also at its best when players like Jared Hamilton, Jay Heath, and Derryck Thornton are putting up points and scoring from beyond the arc, which will open up space for Nik Popovic down in the post. The Eagles’ last two games have been tests of their perimeter defense but the Blue Demons will likely test their physicality and toughness, two traits the Big East as a conference is known for.

Predictions

BC 68 DePaul 65