Boston College Men’s Basketball vs. Miami: Preview

After dropping a tough a loss due to poor shooting in the second half against Clemson, the Eagles look to close out their home season against the Miami Hurricanes Tuesday night.

It is no doubt that Miami has had quite the turnaround of a season after finishing 10-17 last season and 4-15 in conference play. They now are currently projected to be the 9th seed in the Big Dance this year as of this writing which is certainly a rags to riches type of story. The ‘U’ stands stout in the ACC ladders boasting a 20-9 overall record and 12-6 in conference play placing them fourth overall in the ACC.

The Hurricanes are certainly a force to be reckoned with. They have some solid success this season with their most prolific win coming against Duke in early January. They are coming off of a recent loss against Virginia Tech that came down to the wire with the Hokies squeaking out a one point win in a last second three-pointer.

Much of the success of the Canes has come from Senior Guard Kameron McGusty who currently sits at fourth in the ACC in PPG with 17.7. Sophomore Isiah Wong also continues to impress shooting 45.8% from the field and dropping in 15.1 PPG

As a team, Miami has proven to showcase excellent ball security as well in having committed only 278 turnovers on the season (9.5 per game) making them the 16th best ball control team in the NCAA.

While this team’s offense has proven to be one of their stronger assets, the defensive side of things has not boded as well for them as they are 329th in Defensive Field Goal Percentage allowing their opponents to shoot 46.65% from the field. Chalk that up to Miami mostly pushing out a Guard heavy offense that looks to punch you in the mouth and dare you to shoot on the other end. An interesting style of play that has clearly proven effective throughout the season.

The Canes are a seasoned team that has a lot of veterans and experience on the floor in the likes of McGusty, Charlie Moore and big man Sam Waardenburg. With this kind of chemistry and exposure to ACC play, it is not all that surprising to see this team turn things around, especially in a season not as hindered by COVID.

When looking at the matchup on paper, it is clear that the needle points in favor of the Hurricanes. Miami has something to play for in trying to boost their seed potential next month while the Eagles are simply trying to iron out some much needed creases before the ACC tournament. After last game’s shooting performance from BC, I want to be able to write it off as an anomaly, but I am having difficulty in convincing myself. This team continues to be sporadic in both playing up and down to their opponents levels all season and continuity in play seems to continue to be an issue.

Expect the seniors to have big days as it will be their last game playing under the lights at Conte. I just hope that every shot that Galloway takes from deep actually ends up going in... Anyways, I digress. I predict a marginally close game but a win ending up in the Canes’ column.

Prediction: Boston College 68 vs. Miami 76

Tip-off for this one is a late one on Chestnut Hill with it scheduled for 9 EST.