Saturday at the Smith Center: BC, UNC Face off on The CW

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. NORTH CAROLINA - ALL-TIME SERIES

Today's game marks the 30th meeting between the two schools.
Boston College is 6-23 all-time vs. UNC, dating back to 1966-67. In ACC regular season play, BC is 5-20 against North Carolina.
The Tar Heels have captured 17 of the last 18 matchups. UNC won the lone meeting last year, 76-66, at Conte Forum.
On Feb. 1, 2020, BC earned a 71-70 win at the Smith Center - it was the Eagles' first win over UNC in nearly a decade (Feb. 20, 2010).
BC also downed top-seeded UNC, 75-72, in the second round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament en route to the Eagles' run to the Elite Eight.
BC's director of roster management Danya Abrams was a part of that team, finishing with 14 points and 10 boards as a freshman.

HIGH-PERCENTAGE VENNING

Over his last seven games, Chad Venning has shined on the court.
Venning - one of the most efficient big men in the ACC - is averaging 16.0 ppg and connecting on 61.8% of his FG attempts over the span.
He tied his season-high - 19 points - on Jan. 18 vs. #3/3 Duke.
In 34 minutes, Venning was 7-of-11 from the floor vs. the Blue Devils.
He had 17 points (7-13 FG) on Jan. 11 against Syracuse.
On Jan. 14, he scored 19 points (8-15 FG) at Georgia Tech.
In the comeback win over Miami on Jan. 1, Venning tallied 17 points.
The Eagles trailed by 19 - 32-12 with 8:38 left in the first half - before Venning scored 11 straight points for the Eagles. He finished the game shooting 7-of-10 from the floor.
He tallied a season-high 18 points against FDU on Dec. 28, connecting on 8-of-10 from the floor.
He ranks second in the ACC in overall FG percentage (.560); his .573 mark in ACC play is fourth-best in the league.

EAGLES AMONG THE ACC / NCAA LEADERS

Donald Hand Jr. ranks 21st in scoring (14.2), 13th in rebounding (6.6) and second in free throw percentage (.904).
Hand is one of four players to rank in the top 21 in scoring and rebounding in the conference.
Maxime Raynaud (Stanford), Malique Ewin (FSU), and Cooper Flagg (Duke) are the others.
Hand ranks second in the ACC and seventh nationally among major conference guards in rebounding.
His 90.4% proficiency mark from the charity stripe is second in the ACC and ranks 19th nationally.
Hand ranks tied for ninth in the ACC - and 96th nationally - in double-doubles, with four.
Chad Venning sits in second in the ACC - and 47th nationally - in field goal percentage, connecting on 56.0% of his shots.
Venning is also sixth in the ACC - and 110th nationally - in blocked shots, averaging 1.4 swats per outing.
Venning's 27 total blocks is fourth-most in the ACC and is 95th-most nationally.
Jayden Hastings is 14th 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

Former Boston College great Quinten Post had a breakout game as a rookie on Jan. 23 with the Golden State Warriors.
Post scored 20 points, making five 3-pointers, while adding five rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes of action.
The last Eagle alum in the NBA to post at least that stat line: Reggie Jackson had 35 points, five boards, and 13 assists for the Denver Nuggets in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 27, 2024.
The last BC player to tally at least 20 points in his NBA rookie campaign: Ky Bowman had 25 points to go with three rebounds and five assists with the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 25, 2019 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Prior to that, the last Eagle NBA rookie with at least 20 points: Craig Smith scored 26 points for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 26, 2007 vs. the Seattle Supersonics.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 25

Boston College is 9-9 all-time and 4-1 in ACC in games played on the January 25 calendar date.
January 25 marks the dual celebration of National Irish Coffee and National Opposite Days.
Several notable events in history occurred on January 25 - 1819 - The University of Virginia is chartered; 1840 - Naval expedition under Charles Wilkes is first to identify Antarctica as a continent; 1915 - Alexander Graham Bell in NY calls Thomas Watson in San Francisco in the first transcontinental telephone call; 1924 - the first Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France; 1959 - first transcontinental commercial jet flight - LA to NYC; 1961 - Disney releases "101 Dalmatians.
Notable January 25 birthdays: Jesuit martyr Edmund Campion; singer/songwriter Alicia Keys; author Virginia Woolf; poet Robert Burns; PGA Tour pro Billy Andrade; Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky.

BEADLE'S BUZZER-BEATING BUCKETS

Seven of the 11 3-pointers from Joshua Beadle this season have come with 10 seconds or less on the shot or game clock.
Included in those seven was the gamewinning 3FG as time expired vs. Boise State in the Cayman Islands Classic title game.
The grad transfer guard has made 11-of-22 attempts from the perimeter this season at Boston College.
Entering this season, Beadle had made 9-of-49 (.184) from beyond the arc in 65 games at Clemson.

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).

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.

DONALD HAND JR. - YEAR-OVER-YEAR IMPROVEMENTS

Donald Hand Jr. has shown a major statistical leap from a season ago.
Hand is averaging a +9.2 jump in scoring average and nearly a +5.0 jump in rebounding per game this season.
Using the metric PAR (points+assists+rebounds), he has seen nearly a +15.0 jump year-over-year and nearly a +9.0 increase when measured over 40 minutes.
Hand has already surpassed his 2023-24 totals in points, rebounds, assists.
After a season-ending injury game two as a true freshman, his first significant playing time came during the 2023-24 season.
On Dec. 30, Hand was named ACC Player of the Week.

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 six 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 4-2 in the six games where Payne has tallied 10 or more points.
On the season, Payne is averaging 6.6 points in 15 minutes per game; a per-40 average of 17.3 points per game.
He ranks second on the squad in 3-point percentage (.419) and is connecting on 87.5% from the charity stripe.
Nearly a year ago, Payne suffered what was a season-ending knee injury on Dec. 5, 2023 against CCSU.

CHARITABLE VENTURES

Donald Hand Jr. ranks nationally in free throws made (85; 63rd), attempted (94; 148th), and percentage (.904; 19th).
His .904 proficiency from the FT line in 2024-25 would rank first all-time in Boston College's single-season record book.
The current record - .894 - was set by BC Hall of Famer Troy Bell during his freshman season in 1999-2000.
Hand's .862 career FT mark (119-138) ranks third all-time at BC; Bell '03 and Jordan Chatman '19 share the record (.868)
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 10 games with a perfect mark from the line and had a streak of 32 consecutive made FT from Dec. 21-Jan. 18.

THE CAYMAN CLUTCH GENE

Three different Eagles connected on 3-pointers that either forced OT or sealed the victory for Boston College in the Caymans.
Donald Hand Jr. made a 3-pointer on the right wing with 14 seconds left against Missouri State, forcing overtime.
In the extra frame, Elijah Strong connected on a 3-ball from the left wing with four ticks left, sealing the 76-74 win.
Joshua Beadle's step-back 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left propelled BC over Boise State and to the tournament title.

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.
So far this season, Hand leads BC with four double-doubles, while Strong has two, and McFarlane one.

Saturday at the Smith Center: BC, UNC Face off on The CW

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Beadle

Donald Hand Jr.

Jayden Hastings

Roger McFarlane

Fred Payne

Quinten Post

Elijah Strong

Chad Venning

Saturday at the Smith Center: BC, UNC Face off on The CW

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Beadle

Donald Hand Jr.

Jayden Hastings

Roger McFarlane

Fred Payne

Quinten Post

Elijah Strong

Chad Venning

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