Holiday on the Heights as BC Hosts SMU on Saturday

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. SMU - ALL-TIME SERIES

Today marks the second all-time matchup between the two schools. BC last faced SMU on Dec. 19, 1986 in a 62-49 loss in Tokyo, Japan.
The game was the first of two at the Japan Bowl, a round-robin doubleheader that also featured Georgia Tech on Dec. 19-21, 1986.

TRENDS AND NOTABLES

Fred Payne has scored in double figures four times this season; Boston College is 3-1 in those games.
The Eagles are 7-3 when Elijah Strong hits at least one 3-pointer.
At Wake Forest, Joshua Beadle earned his first start at Boston College
His first since Jan. 21, 2023; three of his four career starts have come in ACC play.
Dion Brown registered season-highs in rebounds (6) and assists (5) at Wake Forest. It was his third career game with at least six and five.
Jayden Hastings corralled a season-best six boards at Wake Forest; he is averaging over 10.0 rebounds per 40 minutes.
Roger McFarlane's 3FG at Wake snapped an 0-10 slump from the outside dating back to Nov. 19. He is two for his last five.
Chad Venning is connecting on better than 60% (28-46; .609) from the floor over his previous six games.
Donald Hand Jr. has had at least seven defensive rebounds in six of Boston College's 11 games played.
In his career, when Chas Kelley III hits at least two 3-pointers in a game, Boston College is 7-4.

EAGLES AMONG THE ACC / NCAA LEADERS

Donald Hand Jr. ranks 20th in scoring (13.5), ninth in rebounding (7.6) and first in free throw percentage (.891).
Hand is one of four players - and one of two guards - to rank in the top 20 in scoring and rebounding in the conference.
Maxime Raynaud (Stanford), Ishmael Leggett (Pitt), and Cooper Flagg (Duke) are the others.
He is one of the top rebounding guards in the country, ranking second in the ACC and 11th nationally among all guards.
Hand ranks tied for fifth in the ACC - and 56th nationally - in double-doubles, with three.
His near 90.0% proficiency mark from the charity stripe ranks 58th nationally.
Chad Venning ranks fifth in the ACC - and 105th nationally - in blocked shots, averaging 1.45 swats per outing.
Venning's 16 total blocks is also fourth in the ACC and is 93rd-most in the country.
Venning is six field goals made short of qualifying for the league's field goal percentage leaders; he would be fourth (.521).
Jayden Hastings is tied for 12th in the ACC in blocks, swatting 1.1 shots per game so far this season.

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

Donald Hand Jr. scored 12 points on only five field goal attempts at Stonehill.
It was the third time this season a BC player had at least 12 points on five or fewer shot attempts.
Fred Payne had 12 points (five FGA) at Wake Forest, while Chad Venning had 17 (five FGA) against Dartmouth.

ON THIS DATE: DECEMBER 21

Boston College is 17-10 all-time, and 1-0 in ACC play, on the December 21 calendar date.
In addition to being the Winter Solstice, December 21 also marks the celebration of World Basketball Day.
Several notable events in history occurred on December 21 - 1891: Dr. James Naismith, an instructor at Springfield College, organizes the first game of "basket-ball" with 18 students; 1934: French film "Zouzou" premieres in Paris, starring Josephine Baker - the first black woman to star in a major motion picture; 1937: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" - Disney's first full-length animated feature film - premieres in Los Angeles; 1968: Crosby, Stills & Nash play their first concert in California.
Notable December 21 birthdays: actor Samuel L. Jackson; actress Jane Fonda; French president Emmanuel Macron; theologian and Rhode Island founder Roger Williams; Baseball Hall of Famer Josh Gibson; tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert.

DONALD HAND JR. - YEAR-OVER-YEAR IMPROVEMENTS

In his second full season with Boston College, Donald Hand Jr. has shown a major statistical leap from a season ago.
Hand is averaging nearly a +6.0 jump in scoring and rebounding this season.
His shooting percentages across the board have all seen improvement, including a nearly 5.0% jump in 3-point proficiency and over 15.0% from the charity stripe.
Using the metric PAR (points+assists+rebounds), he has seen a +15.1 jump year-over-year and a +10.0 increase when measured over 40 minutes.
Hand has already surpassed his 2023-24 totals in rebounds, assists, and FT made.
After suffering a season-ending injury early in game two as a true freshman, Hand's first significant playing time post-injury came during the 2023-24 season.

ASSIST/TURNOVER RATE OVER THE LAST NINE

Since posting a season-low four assists to a season-high 17 turnovers against VCU, Boston College has settled down.
The Eagles have won six of nine during that stretch, having vastly improved on its ball control.
Over the last nine games, BC has logged 114 assists to only 100 turnovers - a 1.14 assist/turnover ratio.
Boston College recorded 14 assists to 31 turnovers through the first two games (0.45:1) of the season.

I'VE GOT SIX ON IT

Roger McFarlane has grabbed at least six rebounds in all but five of his last 33 games played, dating back to Dec. 16, 2023.
McFarlane has had at least six rebounds in 68 of his 102 career games, including six of 11 games this season.
The 6-4 guard ranks second on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.4 boards per outing.

BRINGING THE BOOM

Boston College has registered 10 or more 3-pointers on four occasions this year, including a season-high 12 at Wake Forest.
Through 11 games, the Eagles have made 71 3-pointers at a nearly 34.0% clip.
A season ago, BC made 79 3-pointers at just over a 34.0% clip through its first 11 games played.
Donald Hand Jr. and Elijah Strong lead BC with 19 and 13 3-pointers made, respectively.
Chas Kelley III (11) and Fred Payne (10) have each connected on double-digits in the 3FGM column.

FIVE'S COMIN'...

Sophomore guard Fred Payne has scored in double digits on four occasions off the bench for the Eagles.
In the overtime win over Missouri State, Payne poured in a career-high 18 points - including a key 3-pointer in the OT period.
He had 11 points in 14 minutes of action against ODU in the Cayman Islands Classic opener.
Against Loyola (Md.), Payne scored 10 points in 11 minutes of action, knocking down 4-of-7 shots including two 3-pointers.
In BC's ACC opener at Wake Forest, Payne made 3-of-5 shots in 17 minutes, good for 12 points.
Nearly a year ago, Payne suffered what was a season-ending knee injury on Dec. 5, 2023 against CCSU
So far this year, he is averaging 6.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in a little more than 14 minutes per game.

DOUBLE IT UP

Through the first five games of the year, a BC player logged a double-double: Donald Hand Jr, (22p10r) vs. The Citadel, Roger McFarlane (11p/11r) vs. VCU, Elijah Strong (25p/13r) vs. Temple, Hand (15p/14r) vs. Loyola (Md); Hand vs. ODU (12p/10r).
It marked the first time since the 2006-07 season where at least one player posted a double-double in five consecutive games.