Regular Season Finale: BC, Pitt Square off on Saturday

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. PITTSBURGH - ALL-TIME SERIES

Today's game marks the 61st meeting between the two schools.
Boston College is 22-38 all-time vs. Pittsburgh, with the series dating back to 1959-60 season.
In ACC regular season play, the Eagles are 3-9 versus the Panthers. Last year, BC dropped a 90-65 decision to Pitt on March 2, 2024.
From 1989-2004, both schools were members of the Big East. The Eagles compiled a 15-27 mark vs. Pitt during that span.
BC downed Pitt, 79-57, to capture the 2001 Big East Championship.
Pitt is BC's ninth all-time most common opponent (60 games).
Pitt assistant coach Tim O'Toole's father Tom was inducted as a member of the Boston College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1977.
Tom O'Toole played for the Eagles from 1949-52, finishing his career with 703 points, averaging 10.3 ppg for head coach Al McClelland.

D1000N BROWN

With his 3-pointer with 10:51 remaining in the second half against Clemson, Dion Brown reached the 1,000 point mark for his career.
The junior guard entered BC having scored 777 points in two seasons (54 games) at UMBC from 2022-24.
Brown ranks fourth on BC in scoring this year, at 7.4 points per game.

DONALD HAND JR. - YEAR-OVER-YEAR IMPROVEMENTS

Donald Hand Jr. is one of the ACC's Most Improved Players.
Hand ranks third among all ACC players in scoring average increase and is the only one of the three to have done so at the same school.
He is averaging +11 more points per game and over a +4.0 jump in rebounding per game, compared to 2023-24.
Hand is one of three players in the ACC (Flagg - Duke; Raynaud - Stanford) to be named the conference's Player of the Week three times (Dec. 30; Feb. 3; Feb. 24).
He is one of three players in the ACC who has registered at least 20 points and five rebounds in at least nine games this season (Flagg - Duke; Raynaud - Stanford).
He has a near double-digit increase in all three shooting percentages.
One of the ACC's top shooters, Hand is averaging nearly +2.0 more 3FG per game
Using the metric PAR (points+assists+rebounds), he has seen over a +16 jump year-over-year and an +8.0 increase when measured per 40 minutes.
After a season-ending injury in game two as a true freshman, his first significant playing time came in the 2023-24 season.

ON THIS DATE: MARCH 8

Boston College is 4-10 all-time and 0-3 in ACC Tournament games played on the March 8 calendar date.
On March 8, 1997, Boston College captured its first Big East Championship, downing Villanova, 70-58.
March 8 marks the dual celebration of National Proofreadfing and National Peanut Cluster Days.
Several notable events in history occurred on March 8 - 1817 - the New York Stock Exchange is founded; 1913 - the Internal Revenue Service begins; 1927 - Pan American Airlines incorporates; 1936 - the first stock car race is held in Daytona Beach, Fla.; 1974 - Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris; 1987 - the last episode of "The A-Team" aired on NBC.
Notable March 8 birthdays: U.S. Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes; blues pioneer Mississippi John Hurt; actor Alan Hale; Hall of Fame outfielder Jim Rice; actor James van Der Beek.

HASTINGS MAKING AN IMPACT

Redshirt freshman Jayden Hastings has steadily improved throughout his first season of college basketball.
Hastings has 13 games with at least two blocked shots - the most multi-block games by a BC freshman since Sean Williams posted 16 during his freshman campaign in 2004-05.
Last time out, Hastings poured in a career-high 18 points against Clemson, adding five rebounds, two blocks, and three steals.
Hastings was 8-for-8 from the floor - the best by a BC player since Nik Popovic (9-9) against Minnesota on Nov. 26, 2018.
Since the 1996-97 season, seven BC players have been perfect from the floor (min. eight FGA).
Against Virginia Tech, Hastings was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, good for eight points, five boards, and two blocks.
As a starter (3G), Hastings is averaging 7.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 blocks while shooting 64.3% from the floor.
In his first collegiate start on Dec. 21 against SMU, Hastings scored a season-high nine points in 29 minutes played.
Against Louisville on Feb. 5, Hastings tied his season-best with nine boards and logged two blocked shots.
For the season overall Hastings is connecting on 60.2% from the floor and has logged 39 total blocked shots.

EAGLES AMONG THE ACC / NCAA LEADERS

ACC Overall: Donald Hand Jr. ranks 14th in scoring (15.9), 19th in rebounding (6.1) and third in FT percentage (.874).
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.
Hand also ranks sixth in the ACC in 3-pointers made, averaging 2.3 3FGM per game. (68 total).
Chad Venning sits in second in the ACC - and 56th nationally - in field goal percentage, connecting on 54.0% of his shots.
Venning is also third in the ACC in blocked shots - 64th nationally - averaging 1.57 swats per outing.
Jayden Hastings is tied for sixth in the ACC in blocks, swatting 1.30 shots per game so far this season.
As a team, BC ranks third in the ACC - and 92nd in the country - in blocks per game (3.93).
ACC games only: Hand ranks 12th in scoring (16.4 ppg), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.394), fourth in 3-pointers made (2.63/game), and 11th in free throw percentage (.854).
Venning is sixth among all players in ACC play in field goal percentage (.533) and sixth in blocked shots (1.41)
Jayden Hastings is tied for fourth in blocked shots in ACC games, swatting 1.42 shots per game.

GET THAT UP OUTTA HERE!

Chad Venning has registered at least four blocked shots in a game on four occasions - most by any ACC player this season.
In total - among all major conference players - Venning and 12 others have at least four games with four blocked shots.
Ryan Kalkenbrenner (Creighton) and Jayden Quaintence (Arizona State) are tied for first, with eight games.
Venning has blocked at least three shots in eight games - one of two ACC players to do so in 2024-25 (Zack Austin, Pitt).

BRINGING THE BOOM

Boston College has registered 10 or more 3-pointers on nine occasions, including a season-high 14 at North Carolina.
Through 30 games this season, the Eagles have made 201 3-pointers at a 35.1% clip.
Donald Hand Jr. leads BC with 68 3FGM at a 37.8% clip; Joshua Beadle (50.0%) leads the team in percentage.
The 35.1% 3FG% mark ranks eighth in the ACC; BC has connected on 36.7% in ACC play - also good for eighth.

RECORD BOOK UPDATE

Chad Venning has cracked Boston College's single-season record book for blocked shots, coming in at 10th with 44.
Donald Hand Jr.'s .874 FT% ranks third on BC's single-season list; his .851 career mark is also third-best in program history.