Boston College Athletics
It's ACC Time!
January 02, 2015 | Men's Basketball
The non-conference portion of their schedules are all but completed, and we're down to the brass tacks: Atlantic Coast Conference play.
The men and women's basketball teams will kick off play in the most competitive college basketball league this weekend. Both the men and women's conferences are stacked, with at least five teams ranked in their respective Top 25s.
It's shaping up to be another great conference season ahead for the Eagles.
Men's Basketball
Jim Christian's men's squad faces a tough opening ACC game, traveling to second-ranked Duke on Saturday, January 3. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be televised on the ACC's Regional Sports Network (locally on NESN).
Christian, who took over the Eagles in April after an 8-24 season, is eager to get his first ACC season underway.
"The ACC is an unbelievable conference from No. 1 all the way down to No. 15," Christian said. "You have to be at the top of your game every single day in order to succeed. Our experience and mentality are two important factors as we begin league play at one of the toughest venues in the country."
The men were picked 14th of 15 in the preseason ACC media poll, and enter league play with a 7-4 record. Saturday's opponent - Duke, currently 12-0 - was picked to win the league, followed by North Carolina and ACC newbie Louisville.
Three conference teams - Duke, Virginia (No. 3) and Louisville (No. 5) - are all currently ranked in the Associated Press' top five as ACC play begins, with Notre Dame (#14) and North Carolina (#19) also in the Top 25.
The men's home conference schedule at Conte Forum features some of those nation top teams. UVa is set to come to The Heights on Saturday, January 17, while Louisville travels to Chestnut Hill on Wednesday, January 28. North Carolina will visit on Saturday, February 7, followed by BC rival Syracuse on Wednesday, February 11. Norte Dame comes to BC on Saturday, February 21.
Other ACC teams set to play at Boston College include: Pittsburgh (Tuesday, January 6), Miami (Sunday, February 15), N.C. State (Saturday, February 28) and Wake Forest (Saturday, March 7).
Women's Basketball
Erik Johnson's women's team starts the conference slate one day later than the men, traveling to Miami on Sunday, January 4. The game is set for 1 p.m., and will be streamed live at miamihurricanes.com.
"To be able to play against the best teams, the best coaches, the best players, the best arenas, the best fans - this is clearly the top women's basketball conference in the country," Johnson said. "It's the biggest stage in women's basketball and I just can't wait to compete on it ... this is the fun stuff and I can't wait."
The women were predicted to finish 13th in the league by the ACC Blue Ribbon Panel in its preseason poll, and 15th by the ACC coached. The Eagles enter ACC play with an 8-5 record. Notre Dame, Duke and league newcomer Louisville were picked 1-2-3 by the Blue Ribbon Panel, as well as the conference's coaches.
The ACC is coming off a season that saw eight teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Maryland was one of those teams, but has since departed for the Big Ten. However, Louisville joined the conference this season and was a No. 3 seed and advanced to the Regionals, before - coincidently - falling to the Terrapins in the Regional Final (in Louisville).
This season, five ACC teams are currently ranked in the Top 25, including four teams in the Top 10: fourth-ranked Notre Dame, No. 7 Louisville, No. 9 North Carolina, No. 10 Duke and No. 21 Syracuse.
The Eagles will open their home ACC slate next Thursday, January 8, when Georgia Tech visits Conte Forum. The `Cuse come to town on Sunday, January 18, while Duke follows on Thursday, January 22.
Clemson (Thursday, February 5) and Notre Dame (Sunday, February 8) play in Chestnut Hill early, with N.C. State (Sunday, February 15), Florida State (Sunday, February 22) also on tap. The Eagles will close their home ACC slate on Sunday, March 1 with Virginia Tech.
Johnson's squad is one of the - if not THE - youngest starting lineups in the league. With five freshman seeing an average of 17 minutes per game, the Eagles have been relying on youth this season.
Johnson's squad also loves to shoot, and shoot it does. The team's field-goal percentage is 96th nationally (41.1 percent), but it ramps up when the women step outside the three-point arc. The Eagles are 10th in the nation in both three-point field goals per game (8.6), and three-point field goal percentage (38.2 percent).
Sophomore Kelly Hughes is 14th in the nation in three-pointers per game (3.08) and 40th in 3-point field goal percentage (43.0 percent) Junior Nicole Boudreau is ranked 51st nationally in three-point shooting percentage (41.9 percent).
