Wednesday Night Hoops: Louisville Comes to Conte

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. LOUISVILLE - ALL-TIME SERIES

Today's game marks the 19th meeting between the two schools. Boston College is 8-10 all-time versus Louisville.
The Eagles have won the previous four meetings. Last year, BC swept the regular season series with the Cardinals.
In 2022-23, the Eagles were 2-0 vs. UofL, winning in the regular season and in the opening round of the ACC Tournament.
Boston College is 4-4 versus the Cardinals at home.

HAND EARNS SECOND ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD

On Feb. 3, Donald Hand Jr. was named ACC Player of the Week for the second time this season. He also won the award on Dec. 30.
He becomes the first Boston College player to garner weekly conference honors twice since Jerome Robinson did so in 2016-17 and 2017-18 - and the first Eagle win the award twice in the same season since Reggie Jackson during the 2010-11 campaign.
The 6-6 guard poured in a career-high 31 points to go along with nine rebounds in a thrilling 77-76 comeback win over Florida State
He drilled a career-best six 3-pointers and was 9-9 from the foul line.
Earlier this season on Dec. 30, history was made as Hand and his father became the first father-son duo to each earn ACC Player of the Week honors in their respective careers.
Donald Hand Sr. was the recipient of the ACC's top weekly player award on Jan. 31, 2000 while starring at Virginia.

ANOTHER DOUBLE-DIGIT COMEBACK WIN FOR THE EAGLES; BC STUNS FSU, 77-76

Boston College registered its second double-digit comeback win in ACC play, besting Florida State, 77-76, on Feb. 1.
BC trailed by as many as 15 points - 59-44 with 12:40 to go; the Eagles held FSU without a FG for nearly the next 10 minutes.
Minute of Mayhem: Down 70-62 with under 1:00 to play, Donald Hand Jr. converted a traditional three-point play with :48 left.
After two FSU free throws made it 72-65 with :44 left, Fred Payne corralled a miss and went to the line, making both FT.
Trailing by five - 72-67 - Payne logged a steal off a bad pass by FSU's Jamir Watkins and called timeout with :35 left.
On the ensuing possession, Hand was fouled and made two FT, making it 72-69 with 30 ticks to play.
Two more Seminoles foul shots made it a two-possession game again - 74-69 - with :28 remaining.
Payne would strike again, converting a three-point play with 15 seconds to go, making it a two-point game - 74-72.
Florida State extended its lead back to 76-72 after two more free throws with :14 to go.
Payne drove to the basket and had his layup blocked, but Chad Venning tipped it in with :07 left, making it 76-74.
Chas Kelley III stole an errant FSU inbound pass and made a 25-foot 3-pointer, giving BC its first lead since the first half.
The Eagles sealed the victory with a final defensive stop, snapping a six-game losing streak.
The 15-point deficit erased against the Seminoles marked the fifth-largest comeback win in program history.
Nine of BC's last 30 wins dating back to last season have come when the Eagles have trailed by double-digits.

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

With the comeback win over FSU on Feb. 1, Boston College is 5-0 on the season in games decided by four points or less.
Over his last five games, Donald Hand Jr. has connected on 20-of-35 from the 3-point line - good for 57.1%.
On seven occasions this season, BC has shot a higher percentage from 3-point range than overall.
The Eagles averaged 10.7 made 3-point field goals in those seven games.

ON THIS DATE: FEBRUARY 5

Boston College is 11-13 all-time and 1-3 in ACC play in games played on the February 5 calendar date.
February 5 marks the dual celebration of National Weatherpersons Day and World Nutella Day.
Several historic events occurred on February 5: 1631: Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, lands in Boston from England; 1900: the U.S. and United Kingdom agree to Panama Canal treaty; 1921: 20 acres of land are purchased in the Bronx where Yankee Stadium was to be built; 1943: Jake LaMotta hands Sugar Ray Robinson his first-ever defeat; 1972: Bob Douglas becomes the first African-American inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; 2017: the New England Patriots overcame a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl LI to earn a 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Notable February 5 birthdays: soccer superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, Home Run King Hank Aaron, author William S. Burroughs, actress Laura Linney, and NFL Hall of Famer Roger Staubach.

EAGLES AMONG THE ACC / NCAA LEADERS

Donald Hand Jr. ranks tied for 12th in scoring (15.5), 13th in rebounding (6.7) and first in free throw percentage (.909).
Hand is one of three players to rank in the top 15 in scoring and rebounding in the conference.
Maxime Raynaud (Stanford) and Cooper Flagg (Duke) are the others.
Hand ranks second in the ACC and seventh nationally among major conference guards in rebounding.
His 90.9% proficiency mark from the charity stripe is first in the ACC and ranks 15th nationally.
Hand also ranks tied for eighth in the ACC in 3-pointers made, averaging nearly 2.14 3FGM per game. (45 total).
Chad Venning sits in second in the ACC - and 36th nationally - in field goal percentage, connecting on 55.7% of his shots.
Venning is also sixth in the ACC - and 105th nationally - in blocked shots, averaging 1.43 swats per outing.
Venning's 30 total blocks is sixth-most in the ACC and is 109th-most nationally.
Jayden Hastings is seventh in the ACC in blocks, swatting 1.24 shots per game so far this season.
As a team, BC ranks 75th nationally - and seventh in the ACC - in 3-point field goal percentage (.362), and 99th in the country (seventh in ACC) in blocks per game, at 3.9.
In ACC games, Hand ranks 10th in scoring (16.2 ppg), first in 3-point field goal percentage (.466), fifth in 3-pointers made (2.7/game), and fourth in free throw percentage (.915).
Venning is third among all players in field goal percentage (.564).
Joshua Beadle is 14th in assists, averaging 3.40 per conference game and his 2.27:1 assist/turnover mark is ninth-best.
Jayden Hastings is ninth in blocked shots in ACC games, swatting 1.40 shots per game.

BEADLE'S BUZZER-BEATING BUCKETS

Nine of the 14 3-pointers from Joshua Beadle this season have come with 10 seconds or less on the shot or game clock.
Included in those nine was the game-winning 3FG as time expired vs. Boise State in the Cayman Islands Classic title game.
The grad transfer guard has made 14-of-26 attempts from the perimeter this season at Boston College.
In ACC play, Beadle has connected on nearly 62% (8-13) of his attempts from long distance.
Entering this season, Beadle had made 9-of-49 (.184) from beyond the arc in 65 games at Clemson.

DONALD HAND JR. - YEAR-OVER-YEAR IMPROVEMENTS

Donald Hand Jr. has shown a major statistical leap from a season ago.
Hand is averaging a nearly +11 jump in scoring average and nearly a +5.0 jump in rebounding per game this season, compared to 2023-24.
Using the metric PAR (points+assists+rebounds), he has seen better than a +16 jump year-over-year and nearly a +10.0 increase when measured per 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.
Hand was named ACC Player of the Week twice this season (Dec. 30; Feb. 3).

HIGH-PERCENTAGE VENNING

Over his last nine games, Chad Venning has shined on the court.
Venning is averaging 15.2 ppg and connecting on 60% of his FG attempts over the span, dating back to Dec. 28. 2024.
Only seven major conference players have averaged at least 15.0 ppg and made at least 61% from the floor during that span.
On Jan. 25, he scored 17 points (7-12 FG) in 30 minutes at UNC. Venning tied his season-high - 19 points - vs. #3/3 Duke.
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, Venning tallied 17 points (7-10), scoring 11 straight points for the Eagles in the first half.
He ranks second in the ACC in overall FG percentage (.557); his .564 mark in ACC play is third-best in the league.

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT AT CAROLINA

Boston College had one of its best offensive outputs of the season at North Carolina on Jan. 25.
BC's 96 points tied for the second-most in an ACC game in program history; the 89 points in regulation is tied for seventh-best.
The 14 3-pointers made against the Tar Heels tied for sixth-most in a game for Boston College.
The Eagles connected on 54.5% from the floor and 58.3% from the perimeter; one of 16 Division I teams to do that in 2024-25.
BC is the first team to do so in ACC play in three seasons (Notre Dame vs. Pitt, March 5, 2022).
Since 1996-97, only 12 teams in ACC play have connected on 54% from the field and 58% from the perimeter.
Joshua Beadle went 6-for-6 from the floor (2-2 3FG), scoring 14 points to go with six assists - one of four DI players to be perfect from the floor with at least six attempts, while also dishing out six helpers.

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.

SHARING IS CARING

Boston College dished out a season-high 20 assists at North Carolina on Jan. 25.
Joshua Beadle led BC with six assists, while Chad Venning, Dion Brown, and Donald Hand Jr. each had three dimes.
It marked the first time since Feb. 10, 2024 (vs. Duke) that at least four Eagles logged three or more assists in a single game.

BRINGING THE BOOM

Boston College has registered 10 or more 3-pointers on seven occasions, including a season-high 14 at North Carolina.
Through 21 games this season, the Eagles have made 140 3-pointers at a 36.2% clip.
The 36.2% 3-point proficiency mark ranks seventh in the ACC and 75th nationally.
A season ago, BC connected on 164 3-pointers at a nearly identical 36.4% clip through its first 21 games played.
Donald Hand Jr. leads BC with 45 3FGM at a 40.5% clip; Joshua Beadle (53.8%) leads the team in percentage.

CHARITABLE VENTURES

Donald Hand Jr. ranks nationally in free throws made (99; 60th), attempted (109; 147th), and percentage (.909; 15th).
His .909 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 .869 career FT mark (133-153) ranks first all-time at BC; Bell '03 and Jordan Chatman '19 are tied for second (.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 11 games with a perfect mark from the line and had a streak of 32 consecutive made FT from Dec. 21-Jan. 18.

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 had eight points - including a stretch of three straight field goals - in 15 minutes off the bench at North Carolina.
Against Florida State on Feb. 1, Hastings blocked a season-high four shots in 15 minutes of game action.
He has eight games with at least two blocked shots - the most by a BC freshman since All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive selection Steffon Mitchell posted eight multi-block games during his freshman campaign in 2017-18.

Wednesday Night Hoops: Louisville Comes to Conte

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Players Mentioned

Joshua Beadle

Dion Brown

Donald Hand Jr.

Jayden Hastings

Chas Kelley III

Roger McFarlane

Fred Payne

Elijah Strong

Chad Venning

Wednesday Night Hoops: Louisville Comes to Conte

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Players Mentioned

Joshua Beadle

Dion Brown

Donald Hand Jr.

Jayden Hastings

Chas Kelley III

Roger McFarlane

Fred Payne

Elijah Strong

Chad Venning

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