Boston College has been a big problem for Virginia Tech. During coach Mike Young’s seven-year tenure, the Hokies have had a better overall winning percentage each year, but somehow they’ve won only one of seven games against the Eagles.
Young will attempt to overcome his nemesis when Virginia Tech (18-11, 7-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) plays host to Boston College (10-19, 3-13) on Tuesday in Blacksburg, Va.
With the Hokies on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble according to most projections, there isn’t much to gain with a win over the Eagles but a loss would do significant damage to their resume.
Virginia Tech had a chance to earn a resume-boosting Quad 1 win Saturday at then-No. 18 North Carolina but fell 89-82 after hanging with the Tar Heels well into the second half.
“We’re 29 games in or whatever we are and you find yourself in so many different situations,” Young said. “The only disappointment I have is our lack of composure, our lack of solid basketball.”
It’s been that kind of season for Virginia Tech. During Young’s tenure, the Hokies have often exceeded the sum of their parts. This year, with a more talented roster, they’re still trying to find their chemistry.
One positive trend lately for the Hokies is the play of Neoklis Avdalas, who has delivered 36 points and 13 assists in the last two games with just two turnovers.
Boston College has dropped nine of its last 10 games and is in danger of failing to qualify for the ACC tournament for the second straight year. The 18-team league excludes the bottom three finishers from its postseason event.
The Eagles are in next-to-last place in the ACC, trailing Notre Dame and Pittsburgh by one game.
Boston College looks to rebound from a listless 76-54 loss at Miami in which the Eagles committed 16 turnovers and yielded 50% shooting by the Hurricanes.
Boden Kapke scored 18 points for Boston College. He also had a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) in the Eagles’ 68-67 win over Wake Forest on Wednesday of last week.
“At the end of the day you’ve got to take care of the ball. We’ve got a standard we want to play to. Our standard is playing underneath 12 turnovers a game,” Boston College coach Earl Grant said.
–Field Level Media
