Eagles Set to Open 2020-21 Slate vs. #3 Villanova

Wednesday, November 25

Uncasville, Conn.

9:30 p.m.

Boston College

Villanova

Steffon MItchell drives the lane vs. Duke

Photo by: Billie Weiss

Eagles Set to Open 2020-21 Slate vs. #3 Villanova

November 24, 2020 | Men's Basketball

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BC and Nova renew their rivalry at Mohegan Sun at 9:30 p.m.

By: Athletic Communications

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. VILLANOVA - ALL-TIME SERIES

Today's game marks the 78th meeting between the two schools.
BC is 24-53 all-time vs. Nova, dating back to 1945-46.
Fifty-two of those meetings came in Big East play from 1979-2005.
The Eagles were 18-34 in Big East play vs. the Wildcats.
Villanova won the last meeting - 60-59 in overtime - in the Sweet 16 round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
BC is 3-8 all-time against Villanova on a neutral site.

BOSTON COLLEGE IN SEASON OPENERS

In its 87 previous season openers, Boston College has posted an outstanding 68-19 (.782) winning percentage.
BC won its 2019-20 opener - 77-70 - over Wake Forest (Nov. 6, 2019).
This snaps a streak of six straight season openers at Conte Forum.
On Nov. 8, 2013, Boston College opened the season at Providence.
Today's marks the latest calendar date for the opener since 1995-96.
The Eagles opened on Nov. 25, 1995 at home vs. Buffalo (W, 89-49).
This marks the second time BC has opened in a neutral-site MTE.
In 2003-04, BC opened in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Paradise Jam.

BOSTON COLLEGE IN MTE / IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT PLAY

Today is the opening game of the 2K Empire Classic.
Dating back to 1951-52, Boston College has compiled a 96-87 record in multi-team events (MTE) and in-season tournaments.
Last season, BC was 2-2 in the Gotham Classic. In 2018-19, the Eagles captured the inaugural Fort Myers Tipoff.
This is the second Empire Classic appearance for BC - the last coming in 2013-14.

BOSTON COLLEGE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS

Boston College is 67-250 overall against ranked opponents and 6-56 against teams ranked in the top five.
The last two - and three of the last four - wins over top five opponents were against the #1 team in the country.
The last win over a top five opponent came on Dec. 9, 2017 in an 89-84 win at home over #1 Duke.
The Eagles are 1-4 in their last five and 2-8 in their last 10 matchups against ranked opponents.
This marks the first time Boston College has opened a season against a ranked opponent.
This is also the earliest calendar date that BC has faced a top five opponent since Nov. 24, 1997 - vs. #1 Arizona.
The Eagles also faced #3 Michigan State on Nov. 26, 2015.
The earliest game against a ranked opponent came on Nov. 16, 1990 at #6 Duke.

TODAY'S BOSTON COLLEGE NOTE(S) YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT

Aside from the Y, this marks the first time Makai Ashton-Langford and DeMarr Langford Jr. will play on the same team.
Rich Kelly and Frederick Scott enter today's game with a combined 296 career 3-pointers made.
The remaining Boston College roster has made 147 career 3-pointers, led by 65 from Jay Heath a season ago.
Since 2005, BC is 8-10 against Big East opponents, including a pair of losses in the NCAA Tournament.

ON THIS DATE: NOVEMBER 25

Boston College is 9-4 all-time in games played on the November 25 calendar date.
Several notable events in history occurred on November 25 - 1792: Benjamin Banneker first published his Farmer's Almanac; 1897: Spain grants Puerto Rico autonomy; 1963: President John Fitzgerald Kennedy is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery; 1979: Pat Summerall and John Madden broadcast a game together for the first time; 1980: Sugar Ray Leonard defeats Roberto Duran in the "no was" fight in NOLA; 2013: Disney releases the soundtrack for "Frozen."
Notable November 25 birthdays: Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio; prodigious hot dog eater Joey Chestnut; former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet; philanthropist Andrew Carnegie; actor Ricardo Montalban; singer Percy Sledge; actress Christina Applegate.

TONIGHT'S THROWBACKS BROUGHT TO YOU BY 1958, 1994, 2020

Boston College is debuting its new throwback alternate uniforms tonight in a throwback game vs. Villanova.
The two teams were members of the Big East, having met 52 previous times.
The uniforms are inspired by two of BC's most historic teams - 1958 and 1994 - combined with a 2020 color scheme.
The "Boston College" lettering and numbers on the front of the jersey mimic the jerseys from 1958 - BC's first NCAA tournament team. The retro logo and placement on the shorts come from the same design as the 1994 Elite Eight team.
The alternate gray color is a 2020 touch.

MITCHELL RETURNS TO VETERAN BOSTON COLLEGE FRONTCOURT

Steffon Mitchell - an All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive team selection a season ago returns for his fourth season in 2020-21
He was the only player in the country to average: 7.8 points. 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.2 steals,1.0 blocks in 2019-20.
Mitchell ranked fourth in the ACC in rebounding, averaging 8.7 rebounds per game.
The 6-8 forward was one of the top ACC players on the offensive glass, corralling 3.1 ORPG
Mitchell also ranked second in steals (2.2), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.92:1), fifth in steal/turnover ratio (1.36:1), 18th in assists (3.1), and 15th in blocked shots (1.0) in the ACC last season.
His 2.2 steals/game average ranked 14th nationally and he was the tallest player in the top 30 for steals nationally
He was the first BC freshman to average more than 8.0 rebounds per game and is one of six players to lead the Eagles on the glass in each of his first three seasons and one of eight to lead BC in rebounding average on three occasions.
Only Craig Smith and Bill Curley have led BC in rebounding in each of their four seasons on the Heights.
Mitchell has led BC in at least one statistical category (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) in 84 of his 92 career games.=

MITCHELL IN SELECT COMPANY NATIONALLY

Last season, Steffon Mitchell was one of only six players nationally to lead his respective team in blocks and steals.
Three of those players, including Mitchell, were named to their respective conference's All-Defensive team - Tyler Bey (Colorado) and K.C. Ndefo (Saint Peter's) were the others.
Mitchell, along with Bey, Paul Reed (DePaul), and Chris Knight (Dartmouth) each earned all-conference honors.

HEATH RETURNS TO LEAD BOSTON COLLEGE BACKCOURT

Jay Heath - one of the top freshmen in the ACC a season ago - looks to build on his outstanding rookie campaign in 2020-21
Heath led BC in scoring, checking in a 13.1 points per game - the first BC freshman since Olivier Hanlan (2012-13) to do so.
The 6-3 guard knocked down 65 3-pointers in 31 games - a new Boston College freshman record.
He reached double figures in the scoring column on 26 occasions - including the final 15 games of the season.
His 26 games in double digits ranked second only to Duke's Vernon Carey (29) - the ACC Rookie of the Year
Heath was one of three freshmen - Carey, Landers Nolley II (VT) - to rank among the top 20 in the league in scoring.

676 DAYS: TABBS SET TO MAKE HIS RETURN TO THE COURT

Wynston Tabbs - one of the best young guards in the country during the 2018-19 season prior to injury - is set to return to the court after close to 18 months away from the game. Tabbs missed the entire 2019-20 season after knee surgery
As a freshman, Tabbs averaged close to 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 15 games for BC.
When Tabbs was in the lineup in 2018-19, the Eagles were 10-5 - including wins over tourney teams Minnesota, Florida State.
He was named the ACC Rookie and CBS Sports/Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week on Dec. 17, 2018.
Tabbs became the first freshman in BC history to score at least 15 points in each of his first three games.
A total of 676 days have passed since Tabbs has taken the floor for the Eagles.
His last game appearance came on Jan. 20, 2019 in an 87-82 win over #11 Florida State.
Tabbs scored 12 points - including the 3-pointer with 27 seconds left - to help seal the victory over the Seminoles.

TRANSFERS SET TO MAKE AN IMPACT

A pair of grad transfers are set to make immediate contributions for BC in 2020-21.
Rich Kelly, a three-time Second Team All-MAAC selection, comes to BC from Quinnipiac.
Last year, he averaged 16.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game.
He was one of 20 players nationally to make at least 80 3-pointers at a 39% clip or better.
In 89 career games, Kelly has compiled 1,210 points and 407 assists and is a 39% career 3-point shooter (196-of-506).
Frederick Scott was a three-time All-MAAC third teamer at Rider, posting 12.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists last year.
The Munster, Ind. native was one of eight players 6-8 or taller to make at least 40 3-pointers and a 40% clip or better.
Scott has totaled 1,150 points, 539 rebounds, and 110 assists, 64 steals, and 27 blocks.
The 6-8 forward has logged 13 double-doubles in his 96-game career.
James Karnik - a traditional transfer from Lehigh - has filed a waiver appeal for immediate eligibility.
A 6-9 power post player, he logged 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season for the Mountain Hawks.
Andre Adams - a 6-9 grad transfer from Southern Utah - will miss the 2020-21 season due to injury.

MAKAI READY TO LET IT FLY

Makai Ashton-Langford - a 6-3 transfer guard from Worcester, Mass. - takes to the court for the first time in a BC uniform.
The consensus top 50 recruit from Brewster Academy sat out the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.
Ashton-Langford appeared in 63 games for the Friars from 2017-19, earning seven starts.
His career-high in scoring came against Villanova on Jan. 5, 2019, scoring 20 points (6-9 FG; 4-4 3FG)

MOHEGAN SUN ARENA - CONTE FORUM SOUTH IN 2020

Today's game marks the first of four straight at Mohegan Sun Arena to start 2020-21 for Boston College.
The Eagles in the 2K Empire Classic and return next week for games against St. John's (Nov. 30) and Missouri (Dec. 2).
BC last played at Mohegan Sun in 2017-18, going 1-1 at the Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament.
Boston College is 1-2 all-time at Mohegan Sun Arena.

HOPING THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER IN 2020-21

Last season, Boston College ranked 302nd nationally in 3-point FG percentage, connecting on 30.8% (230-747).
BC adds two career 39% 3-point shooters in Rich Kelly and Frederick Scott.
Kelly connected on 40% from the perimeter a season ago (82-207), as did Scott (40-100).
The graduate transfer duo has combined to make 296 treys in their previous three seasons.

YES, THEY TALK BASKETBALL AT THE DINNER TABLE

Grad transfer Rich Kelly comes from a basketball family.
His father Dennis is a former Division I official and his younger brother John plays at Fairfield University.

WELL-REPRESENTED

BC's roster is comprised of student-athletes from 10 different states, the District of Columbia, and two foreign countries.
It ranks tied for fourth nationally among the most geographically diverse teams, using states (+DC) and countries as a figure.
New Mexico, Penn and UT Martin rank first, with 15.
BC is tied at 13 with Kentucky, Kansas City, and Weber State.