New Year's Day Matinee: Eagles Host Miami at Noon

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. MIAMI - ALL-TIME SERIES

Today's game marks the 60th meeting between the two schools.
BC leads the all-time series against the Hurricanes, 30-29.
BC captured all three meetings during the 2023-24 season.
The Eagles are 15-11 all-time in home games against Miami.
From 1989-2004, both schools were members of the Big East. BC compiled a 15-6 mark versus Miami during that span.

BOSTON COLLEGE'S 2024-25 RECORD WHEN...

4-0 when Donald Hand Jr. has a double-double.
6-1 when Roger McFarlane hauls in at least six rebounds.
7-3 when Elijah Strong hits at least one 3-pointer.
6-2 when Chad Venning scores in double digits.
6-2 when Donald Hand Jr. tallies at least two 3-pointers.
5-2 when Dion Brown has at least five boards.
3-1 when Fred Payne scores in double figures.

NOW TRENDING

On Dec. 7 at Wake Forest, Joshua Beadle earned his first start at BC; four of his six career starts have come in ACC play.
In 11 non-conference games, Dion Brown is averaging 6.2 points per game, connecting on 5-of-20 from beyond the arc.
Through two ACC games, Brown is doubling up his scoring - at a 13.5 ppg clip - and has made 4-of-6 from the perimeter.
Jayden Hastings earned his first career start on Dec. 21 vs. SMU, scoring a career-best nine points in 29 minutes played .
Donald Hand Jr. has registered five games this season with at least three 3-pointers. He had three all of last year.
Since coming off the bench the last three games, Chas Kelley III is averaging 6.3 points/game and is shooting nearly 60%.

HAND MAKES HISTORY AS ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

After a career-high 29-point double-double outing on Dec. 28, Donald Hand Jr. was named the ACC Player of the Week.
Hand poured in 15 of his 29 points in the first half and scored eight of BC's final 10 points down the stretch in the win.
It marked the first time in the history of the ACC that a father and son have each been named ACC Player of the Week.
Donald Hand Sr. won the award on Jan. 31, 2000 while starring as a guard at Virginia.
The ACC began its weekly awards program during the 1972-73 season.
It is the first ACC Player of the Week honor for a BC player this season and the first since Nov. 23, 2023 (Quinten Post ).
Since joining the ACC in 2005-06, an Eagle has been selected ACC Player of the Week 18 times (10 different players).

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

Donald Hand Jr. ranks 78th nationally in defensive rebounding percentage (24.3%).
Chad Venning's block percentage of 7.5% ranks 78th nationally.
Boston College's team FT percentage (73.9%) would rank as the eighth-best single-season mark in program history.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 1

Boston College is 2-1 overall and 1-0 in ACC play all-time on the January 1 calendar date.
In addition to it being New Year's Day, January 1 also marks the celebration of National Bloody Mary Day.
Several notable events in history occurred on January 1 - 1502 - Portuguese explorers discover Bay of Guanabara, naming it Rio de Janeiro; 1600 -Scotland begins its numbered year on Jan. 1; 1673 - regular mail delivery begins between NY and Boston; 1797 - Albany replaces NYC as capital of New York; 1818 - Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" is published anonymously; 1831 - William Lloyd Garrison published first issue of the abolitionist newspaper "The Liberator;" 1863 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves in the confederate states.
Notable January 1 birthdays: pioneer George Washington Carver; explorer John Smith; seamstress Betsy Ross; Italian statesman Lorenzo de'Medici; Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere; baseball Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg.

EAGLES AMONG THE ACC / NCAA LEADERS

Donald Hand Jr. ranks 15th in scoring (15.3), eighth in rebounding (7.5) and first in free throw percentage (.890).
Hand is one of three players - and the only guard - to rank in the top 15 in scoring and rebounding in the conference.
Maxime Raynaud (Stanford) and Cooper Flagg (Duke) are the others.
He is one of the top rebounding guards in the country, ranking second in the ACC and 15th nationally among all guards.
His near 90.0% proficiency mark from the charity stripe ranks 49th nationally.
Hand ranks tied for fourth in the ACC - and 46th nationally - in double-doubles, with four.
Chad Venning ranks third in the ACC - and 82nd nationally - in blocked shots, averaging 1.54 swats per outing.
Venning's 20 total blocks is second-most in the ACC and is 66th-most in the country.
Venning is six field goals made short of qualifying for the league's field goal percentage leaders; he would be third (.541).
Jayden Hastings is 13th in the ACC in blocks, swatting 1.1 shots per game so far this season.

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 +8.0 jump in scoring average and +6.0 jump in rebounding per game this season.
His shooting percentages across the board have all seen improvement, including over a 7.0% jump in 3-point proficiency and a 15.0% from the charity stripe.
Using the metric PAR (points+assists+rebounds), he has seen a +16.3 jump year-over-year and a +11.6 increase when measured over 40 minutes.
Hand has already surpassed his 2023-24 totals in points, rebounds, assists, and FTM. He needs two more 3-pointers made to pass his 2023-24 total.
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.
On Dec. 30, Hand was named ACC Player of the Week after a 29-point/10-rebound performance in a win over FDU.

BROWN EMERGING

Dion Brown had his best offensive output of the season against SMU on Dec. 21, scoring a season-best 20 points.
Brown made 6-of-10 shots from the floor, including 3-of-3 from the perimeter in 33 minutes of play.
In ACC play, the junior transfer is averaging 14.0 points per game, while tallying 5.0 boards and 3.0 assists.
Over his last three games, Brown is averaging 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.

HIGH-PERCENTAGE VENNING

Chad Venning tallied a season-high 18 points against FDU on Dec. 28, connecting on 8-of-10 from the floor.
It was the sixth game this season where the grad transfer has attempted at least 10 shots - BC is 5-1 in those games.
For his career, Venning has attempted at least 10 FG in 46 career games and is shooting .532% in those games.
Venning leads Boston College in FG%, connecting on 54.1% of his shot attempts, including 56.7% from inside the arc.
He is six made field goals short of qualifying for the ACC field goal leaders - his .541 mark would rank fourth in the league.

HASTINGS MAKING MOST OF FIRST START

Redshirt freshman Jayden Hastings earned his first collegiate start on Dec. 21 against SMU.
The 6-9 post player registered season-highs in scoring (nine points) and minutes played (29).
He made 3-of-6 shots from the floor and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, to go along with five boards and a blocked shot.
Hastings is averaging nearly 4.0 points, 4.0 boards, and a blocked shot in 14 minutes per game this season.

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 13 games, the Eagles have made 84 3-pointers at a nearly 34.0% clip.
A season ago, BC made 100 3-pointers at just over a 36.0% clip through its first 13 games played.
Donald Hand Jr. leads BC with 24 3-pointers made, while Elijah Strong (13), Chas Kelley III (12), and Fred Payne (11) have each connected on double-digits in the 3FGM column.

I'VE GOT SIX ON IT

Roger McFarlane has grabbed at least six rebounds in all but six of his last 35 games played, dating back to Dec. 16, 2023.
He has had at least six rebounds in 69 of his 104 career games - better than 66% of his games played.
McFarlane has grabbed at least six boards in seven of 13 games this season; BC is 6-1 in those games.
The 6-4 guard ranks second on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.5 boards per outing.

New Year's Day Matinee: Eagles Host Miami at Noon

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Beadle

Dion Brown

Donald Hand Jr.

Jayden Hastings

Chas Kelley III

Roger McFarlane

Fred Payne

Quinten Post

Elijah Strong

Chad Venning

New Year's Day Matinee: Eagles Host Miami at Noon

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Beadle

Dion Brown

Donald Hand Jr.

Jayden Hastings

Chas Kelley III

Roger McFarlane

Fred Payne

Quinten Post

Elijah Strong

Chad Venning

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