Eagles Take On Minnesota in ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. MINNESOTA

This is the second meeting between Boston College and Minnesota.
BC won the previous matchup, 68-56, on Nov. 26, 2018 at Conte Forum.
The game was also part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Wynston Tabbs had 17 points, five assists and three steals, while Shakopee, Minn. native Steffon Mitchell had eight points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots.

BOSTON COLLEGE VERSUS THE BIG TEN

Boston College is 20-20 in games versus Big Ten opponents.
The Eagles all-time vs. the Big Ten: Indiana (3-1); Iowa (2-0); Michigan (4-1); Michigan State (3-3); Minnesota (1-0); Nebraska (0-1); Northwestern (2-4), Ohio State (1-1); Penn State (2-3); Purdue (0-3), Wisconsin (2-4).
BC has never faced Illinois, Maryland, or Rutgers in Big Ten play.

BOSTON COLLEGE IN THE BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE

Since 2006, Boston College is 7-5 in the Big Ten/ ACC Challenge.
Last year, BC lost, 82-64, at home to Northwestern on Dec. 3, 2019
The Eagles are 3-2 in ACC/Big Ten Challenge road games.

676 DAYS: TABBS MAKES HIS RETURN TO THE COURT

Wynston Tabbs returned to the lineup on Nov. 25 after 676 days layoff due to injury-plagued freshman and sophomore seasons.
In the opener vs. Villanova, Tabbs scored 11 points in 22 minutes.
Against Rhode Island, Tabbs saw 35 minutes of action, tallying his first collegiate double-double: 16 points and 10 boards.
Tabbs led BC with 23 points vs. St. John's - his third career 20+ scoring game.
Tabbs proved to be one of the best young guards in the country prior to injury.
As a freshman, Tabbs averaged close to 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 15 games for BC in 2018-19.
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.
His last game was Jan. 20, 2019: an 87-82 win over #11 Florida State. He had 12 points and hit the game-sealing 3FG.
He is one of 10 Division I players in 2020-21 to have at least a 600-day period between games.

ON THIS DATE: DECEMBER 8

Boston College is 13-7 all-time in games played on the December 8 calendar date.
Several notable events in history occurred on December 8 - 1813: Beethoven's 7th Symphony in A premieres in Vienna; 1913: Construction starts on the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco; 1941: FDR delivers his "Day of Infamy" speech to Congress a day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor; 1961: Wilt Chamberlain has 78 points and 43 rebounds in a loss to the L.A. Lakers; 1967: The Beatles release "Magical Mystery Tour."
Notable December 8 birthdays: Rapper Nicki Minaj; Mary Queen of Scots; singer Jim Morrison and Sammy Davis Jr., actor Dominic Monaghan; actress Kim Basinger; inventor Eli Whitney.
December 8 also marks the celebration of National Brownie Day.

STEFFON MITCHELL: THE MOST WELL-ROUNDED PLAYER IN AMERICA

Steffon Mitchell - an All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive team selection a season ago returns for his fourth season in 2020-21.
He ranks third among all active players overall in career rebounding (795) and first in career assists (237) among players 6-8 or taller,
The Shakopee, Minn. native is the only Division I player in the country this season to post a stat line of 7.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.
In 2019-20, he was the only player in DI to average: 7.8 points. 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.2 steals,1.0 blocks 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 88 of his 96 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.

MITCHELL NAMED TO 2K EMPIRE CLASSIC ALL-TOURNEY TEAM

After averaging nearly a double-double, Steffon Mitchell was one of named to the 2K Empire Classic All-Tourney team.
Mitchell averaged 9.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game in a 1-1 week for Boston College.
He had 12 rebounds, four blocks, and two steals in the season opener against No. 3 Villanova.
Mitchell followed that up with 15 points and eight rebounds - including a pivotal three-point play with 1:46 to play.
Joining Mitchell was MVP Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore (Nova), Daron Russell (URI), and Remy Martin (ASU).

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT CJ FELDER

Through his first four games, CJ Felder has made an impact on the starting lineup
The sophomore forward is connecting on 65.2% of his field goal attempts on the season - including 9-of-11 inside the arc.
Felder leads BC and ranks eighth in the ACC in 3-point FG%, making 6-of-12 - good for 50.0% from the perimeter.
On Nov. 30 vs. St. John's, he scored a career-high 18 points on 7-9 shooting from the floor, including 3-5 from the perimeter.
He also leads BC in blocked shots (8) and is tied for second in scoring average (11.3 points per game).
In 22 games as a starter at BC, he is averaging 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

THE HEATER

Jay Heath has scored in double figures in two of his first three games, ending a streak of 17 straight games with 10+ points.
Last time out Heath tallied five points against Florida, but led the Eagles with three assists.
Against #3 Villanova, Heath had 16 points to go with four boards, two assists, and a blocked shot.
He had 13 points in 31 minutes against St. John's making three 3-pointers.
The sophomore missed the Nov. 26 game vs. Rhode Island due to a foot strain.
One of the top freshmen in the ACC a season ago, Heath was the first BC frosh since 2012-13 to lead the team in scoring.
The 6-3 guard averaged 13.1 points per game and set a new Boston College freshman 3-pointers record, with 65 made.
He reached double figures on 26 occasions, second only to Duke's Vernon Carey (29) - the ACC Rookie of the Year.
Heath was one of three freshmen - Carey and Landers Nolley II (VT) - to rank among the top 20 in the league in scoring.

HE JUST TOOK A DNA TEST AND TURNS OUT HE'S 100 PERCENT THAT RICH

Rich Kelly is averaging 11.0 points and 1.8 assists per game off the bench for BC through the first four games.
Last time out, he led BC with 13 points in the loss to Florida.
The grad transfer from Quinnipiac added 11 points in 26 minutes in the win over Rhode Island.
He is connecting on 42.9% (6-14) from beyond the arc and his six 3-pointers tie for the team lead through four games.
A three-time Second Team All-MAAC selection, Kelly averaged 16.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds last season.
He has 202 career 3-pointers and is connecting from deep at a 38.8% career percentage.

KARNIK RECEIVES WAIVER TO COMPETE; MAKES BC DEBUT VS. FLORIDA

Forward James Karnik was granted immediate eligibility from the NCAA on Thursday, Dec. 3.
He played that night versus Florida and tallied seven points and six rebounds in his BC debut.
Karnik transferred to BC from Lehigh, where he averaged 12.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals.
Karnik connected on over 57% of his field goal attempts - and nearly 60% inside the arc during the 2019-20 season.
He reached double-digits in the scoring column 15 times, including six double-doubles in points and rebounds.
The native of Surrey, British Columbia saw action in 83 career games for Lehigh, averaging 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while connecting on 54.5% (317-582) of his field goal attempts.

MAKAI READY TO LET IT FLY

Makai Ashton-Langford - a 6-3 transfer guard from Worcester, Mass. - had a big-time game in his BC debut.
MAL had 15 points (6-11 FG; 2-5 3FG) to go with six boards, three assists, and a steal in 27 minutes.
Against St. John's, Ashton-Langford had 13 points, two boards, and four assists in 23 minutes.
Last time out, Ashton-Langford added eight points, five boards, two assists, and three steals against Florida.
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 Providence from 2017-19, earning seven starts.

Eagles Take On Minnesota in ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Makai Ashton-Langford

CJ Felder

Jay Heath

James Karnik

Rich Kelly

Steffon Mitchell

Wynston Tabbs

Eagles Take On Minnesota in ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Makai Ashton-Langford

CJ Felder

Jay Heath

James Karnik

Rich Kelly

Steffon Mitchell

Wynston Tabbs

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