Saturday Afternoon Visit from Syracuse

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. SYRACUSE - ALL-TIME SERIES

Today's game marks the 87th meeting between the two schools.
BC is 27-58 all-time vs. Syracuse; 14-23 at home vs. the Orange. In ACC play, the Eagles are 4-18 versus the Orange.
This is the first of two regular season meetings vs. the Orange. Last year, BC split its season series with Syracuse.
BC won the last matchup, 80-75, on Jan. 30 at BC, snapping an 11-game losing streak vs. the Orange.
From 1979-2005, both teams were members of the Big East. BC was 17-34 against Syracuse in Big East play.

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

HIGH-PERCENTAGE VENNING

Over his last three games, Chad Venning is averaging 18.0 points per game and connecting on better than 65% of his FGA.
He tallied a season-high 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting at Georgia Tech on Jan. 4.
Venning was 7-of-10 from the floor, good for 17 points in the comeback win over Miami on Jan 1.
He tallied a season-high 18 points against FDU on Dec. 28, connecting on 8-of-10 from the floor.
The grad transfer from Brooklyn has attempted at least 10 shots in eight games this season - BC is 6-2 in those games.
For his career, Venning has attempted at least 10 FG in 48 career games and is shooting .535% in those games.
Venning leads Boston College in FG%, connecting on 55.2% of his shot attempts, including 57.4% from inside the arc.
He is one made field goal short of qualifying for the ACC field goal leaders - his .552 mark would rank third in the league.

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 vs. FDU.
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

Luka Toews has dished out eight assists to only one turnover in his last four games played.
In Boston College's nine wins, the Eagles are scoring at a 74.8 points per game clip, holding opponents to under 65 ppg.
In its six losses, BC is averaging 66.0 points per game, while opponents are scoring nearly 84 points per outing.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 11

Boston College is 8-8 all-time and 3-2 in the ACC in games played on the January 11 calendar date.
On Jan. 11, 2003, the Eagles lost, 82-74 at the Carrier Dome despite 29 from Troy Bell and 26 from Craig Smith.
January 11 marks the dual celebration of National Milk and National Arkansas Days.
Several notable events in history occurred on January 11- 1569 - the first recorded lottery in England is held; 1838: first public demonstration of Morse Code held in New Jersey; 1922 - Insulin first used on humans to treat diabetes; 1935 - Amelia Earhart flies from Honolulu to Oakland; 1949 - first recorded snowfall in Los Angeles.
Notable January 11 birthdays: R&B royalty Mary J. Blige; founding father Alexander Hamilton; suffragist Alice Paul; saxophonist Clarence Clemons; two-time Masters champ Ben Crenshaw; Big Bank Hank of the Sugar Hill Gang.

COMEBACK KIDS VS. THE CANES

Boston College registered its largest home comeback win in program history against Miami on Jan. 1.
Trailing by 19 - 32-13 - with just under nine minutes to play in the first half, BC came back to win, 78-68.
The comeback began from there, as the Eagles closed the half on a 16-9 push to make it a 41-29 deficit at the break.
BC began the second half on an 8-2 push, getting within four - 43-39 with 17:04 to go - after a Chad Venning layup.
Roger McFarlane's 3FG with 8:52 to play gave Boston College its first lead of the day - 56-55 - capping another 10-4 push.
The Eagles outscored the Canes, 22-13 from that point on - and 49-27 in the second half - to secure the win.
Fred Payne (12), Joshua Beadle (11), and Elijah Strong (11) all tallied double-digits over the final 20 minutes.
The previous high for a home comeback was 18 points, set on Dec. 29, 2004 as the Eagles reversed course on Kent State.
At the time, it ranked as the second-biggest comeback in Division I this season and marked the fourth time a team trailed by double figures at the half and won by double figures.

EAGLES AMONG THE ACC / NCAA LEADERS

Donald Hand Jr. ranks 17th in scoring (14.3), 11th in rebounding (7.3) and second in free throw percentage (.901).
Hand is one of three players to rank in the top 20 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 17th nationally among all guards.
His 90.1% proficiency mark from the charity stripe ranks 26th nationally.
Hand ranks tied for sixth in the ACC - and 63rd nationally - in double-doubles, with four.
Chad Venning ranks sixth in the ACC - and 99th nationally - in blocked shots, averaging 1.5 swats per outing.
Venning's 22 total blocks is fourth-most in the ACC and is 86th-most nationally.
Venning is one field goal made short of qualifying for the league's field goal percentage leaders; he would be second (.553).
Jayden Hastings is 12th 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 +7.0 jump in scoring average and nearly a +6.0 jump in rebounding per game this season.
Using the metric PAR (points+assists+rebounds), he has seen better than a +15 jump year-over-year and a +10 increase when measured over 40 minutes.
Hand has already surpassed his 2023-24 totals in points, rebounds, assists, and FTM. He needs one more 3-pointer 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.

HASTINGS MAKING AN IMPACT

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.
In the comeback win over Miami on Jan. 1, he finished with six points, and a career-high nine boards in 22 minutes.
Hastings is averaging nearly 4.0 points, 4.0 boards, and a blocked shot in 14 minutes per game this season.

FIVE'S COMIN'...

Fred Payne earned his first start on Jan. 1 vs. Miami, finishing with 15 points, six boards, three assists, and two steals.
He had scored in double digits on four occasions off the bench, including a career-high 18 points - including a key 3-pointer in the OT period - against Missouri State in the second round of the Cayman Islands Classic.
Boston College is 4-1 in the five games where Payne has tallied 10+; the lone loss, a 72-66 decision at Wake Forest.
On the season, Payne is averaging 7.0 points in 15 minutes; a per-40 average of 18.0 points per game.
He ranks second on the squad in 3-point percentage (.424) and is connecting on 87% from the charity stripe.
Nearly a year ago, Payne suffered what was a season-ending knee injury on Dec. 5, 2023 against CCSU

I'VE GOT SIX ON IT

Roger McFarlane has grabbed at least six rebounds in 30 of his last 37 games played, dating back to Dec. 16, 2023.
He has had at least six rebounds in 69 of his 106 career games - better than 66% of his games played.
McFarlane has grabbed at least six boards in seven of 15 games this season; BC is 6-1 in those games.
The 6-4 guard ranks second on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.2 boards per outing.

CHARITABLE VENTURES

Donald Hand Jr. ranks nationally in free throws made (73; 36th), attempted (81; 98th), and percentage (.901; 26th).
His .901 proficiency from the FT line in 2024-25 would rank first all-time in Boston College's single-season record book.
Hand's .856 career FT percentage (107-125) ranks third all-time in the BC record book.
Hand made 19-of-20 from the line through the first two games of the season, including 11-for-11 vs. The Citadel.
The last BC player to connect on at least 23 of 25 free throws over a three-game span was Olivier Hanlan in 2014-15.
Hanlan went 25-for-26 over a three game stretch, including a perfect 14-for-14 from the line at Pitt on Feb. 24, 2015.
Hand has had eight games with a perfect mark from the line and has made 21 consecutive free throws dating back to Dec. 21.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Beadle

Dion Brown

Donald Hand Jr.

Jayden Hastings

Roger McFarlane

Fred Payne

Quinten Post

Elijah Strong

Luka Toews

Chad Venning