Boston College Travels to Pittsburgh for Saturday Tilt

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BOSTON COLLEGE VS. PITTSBURGH – ALL-TIME SERIES

Today’s game marks the 56th meeting between the two schools. Boston College is 20-35 all-time vs. Pittsburgh.
In ACC play, the Eagles are 2-6 versus the Panthers. Last year, BC and Pitt did not play due to COVID-19.
Pitt won the last meeting – Jan. 22, 2020 – in Pittsburgh, 74-72.
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.
BC is 1-3 all-time at the Pete and 6-16 all-time in games at Pitt.
Pitt is BC’s 10th all-time most common opponent (55 games).

BOSTON COLLEGE IN ACC REGULAR-SEASON PLAY

Boston College is 92-181 in 16+ seasons in the ACC.
BC won its ACC opener, 73-57, at home vs. Notre Dame.
In 2019-20, BC was 7-13 in ACC play, finishing 10th.
It marked the most ACC wins since the 2017-18 season and was the seventh time since 2005-06 that BC had at least seven ACC wins.
BC’s best ACC mark came in its inaugural season, going 11-5 in conference play in 2005-06 en route to a third-place finish.
BC tied for third in 2006-07 (10-6) and was fourth in 2010-11 (9-7).

FIRST TIME IN TWO SEASONS FOR THE NEXT THREE (AND FOUR STRAIGHT)

Boston College’s game against Pittsburgh is the second of four straight games against ACC opponents that the Eagles did not face during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season. Note research courtesy of BC radio pxp Josh Maurer.
Due to pauses in the schedule due to coronavirus breakouts, BC missed games vs, UNC (Feb. 1, 2021), Pittsburgh (Jan. 23, 2021), Georgia Tech (Feb. 17, 2021), and Clemson (Jan. 27, 2021) last season.

ROAD WEARY

In two true road games this season, Boston College is connecting on 33.9% from the floor and 20.7% from the perimeter.
In four road/neutral games, BC’s shooting percentages improve to 38.1% and 31.7% from beyond the arc.
In eight home tilts in 2021-22, the Eagles are shooting 45.0% from the field and nearly 36% from 3-point land.
BC has dropped its last 12 true road games and its last 14 road/neutral matchups.

RARE COMPANY ON REBOUNDING PERCENTAGE LIST

Boston College is one of 11 teams nationally to rank among the top 60 in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage.
BC ranks ninth in DReb% (79.1) and 59th in OReb% (32.9) nationally – and second and first, respectively, in the ACC.
The other schools to rank in the top 60 in both categories: BYU, College of Charleston, Gonzaga, Mississippi State, Purdue, Stanford, TCU, Texas Tech, UCLA, and UNC Greensboro.

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

Jaeden Zackery is one of four freshmen – and 13 players nationally – to shoot at least 51.5% from 3FG (17 3FGM min).
Prior to transferring to BC, James Karnik was 0-for-9 from 3FG in three seasons at Lehigh.
After making 4-of-13 from the perimeter in 2020-21, Karnik has almost doubled his career totals in 2021-22 – 7-of-18.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 8

Boston College is 8-8 all-time – and 1-1 in ACC play – in games played on the January 8 calendar date.
January 8 marks the tri-celebration of National Argyle, National Bubble Bath, and National English Toffee Days.
Several notable events in history occurred on January 8 – 1790 – George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address; 1835 – the U.S. national debt is $0 for the first and only time in history; 1955 – Georgia Tech ends Kentucky’s 130-game home winning streak in men’s basketball; 1962 – Jack Nicklaus makes professional golfing debut at the L.A. Open; 1972 – the NCAA announces freshman eligibility for competition; 1973 – the trial for the Watergate burglars begins in Washington, D.C.; 1984 – the NCAA expands the men’s basketball championship field to 64 teams; 2012 – Tim Tebow connects with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in the AFC Wild Card round, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 29-23.
Notable January 8 birthdays: musicians David Bowie and Elvis Presley; physicist Stephen Hawking; game show host Bob Eubanks; soccer star David Silva; jazz singer Shirley Bassey; concert promoter Bill Graham.

ZACKERY MAKING AN IMPACT

Jaeden Zackery ranks third on BC in scoring (10.8), second in assists (2.6), and first in steals (1.4) so far this season.
Among all ACC first-year players, Zackery is one of five players to average double figures in scoring. He ranks fifth in scoring, second in assists, and third in steals among ACC newcomers.
He has reached double-digits eight times and has led the Eagles in scoring on four occasions.
The Salem, Wisc. product has registered an effective FG% of 58.0% and a true shooting percentage of 59.6% in 12 games.
Zackery is connecting on 51.5% of his 3-point attempts on the season, knocking down 17-of-33.
He was named to the Sunshine Slam All-Tourney team, after scoring a season-high 19 points against Rhode Island.
Over the two games in Daytona Beach, the freshman knocked down 7-of-10 from the perimeter, including 4-6 vs. Rhody.
The 6-2 guard added 15 points (3-4 3FG) vs. Utah the night before in the semifinal round of the Sunshine Slam tourney.
In the three Sunshine Slam games, he averaged 15.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals while shooting 64% (16-25) from the floor and 63.6% (7-11) from the perimeter.
Earlier this season, he became the first BC freshman to dish out at least six assists in consecutive games in nearly a decade.
In 2012-13, Boston College’s Joe Rahon had six dimes against Providence (12/21/12) and Holy Cross (12/29/12).
Zackery was a 2020-21 NJCAA Third Team All-American out of Chipola College in Florida.

ASHTON-LANGFORD’S JOURNEY CONTINUES

Makai Ashton-Langford enters his fourth season of college basketball in 2021-22.
He ranks second on the Eagles in scoring, at a career-best 11.5 points per game.
The 6-3 guard scored 16 of his second-high 18 points in the second half at Saint Louis.
Ashton-Langford ranks 11th in the ACC in assists (3.4) and 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.86:1).
Ashton-Langford is also ranked eighth in the ACC in free throw percentage, knocking down 80.4% of his FT attempts.
Ashton-Langford has tallied double digits in the scoring column in 10 of BC’s 12 games in 2021-22.
In games where he grabs at least four rebounds and dishes out four assists, BC is 4-1 in 2021-22.
Last season, he posted career-high averages in scoring (9.6 ppg), rebounding (3.3), assists (3.2), and steals (1.7).
Over the final four games of 2020-21, he averaged 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists – one of just two ACC players to post those averages over the final stretch of the regular season.
This past summer, Ashton-Langford was awarded his undergraduate degree in communications from Boston College.
He began his college career at Providence, playing 63 games for the Friars from 2017-19.

BOO FROM THE WOO – LANGFORD JR. BREAKING OUT

Through 12 games, DeMarr Langford Jr. is showing no signs of a sophomore slump.
He leads a balanced BC scoring attack, averaging nearly 12.0 points to go with 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
He averaged 17.3 points per game while shooting nearly 63.3% (19-30) from the floor in the Eagles’ first three wins.
Langford Jr. scored a career-high 20 points (6-9 FG; 8-8 FT) in 31 minutes vs. Holy Cross.
The sophomore connected 13 of his first 15 field goal attempts on the season, making his first five shots vs. Holy Cross.
He opened the season with a 16-point performance vs. Dartmouth, making 8-of-10 shots on the night.
Since 1996-97, only 22 Boston College players have shot at least 80% while attempting at least 10 field goals in a game.
Last season as a freshman, he averaged 6.7 points and 4.2 boards while adding 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
Langford Jr. – nicknamed Boo by his grandmother – is the younger brother of starting point guard Makai Ashton-Langford.
On Nov. 26, 2020, vs. Rhode Island, they became the first brothers from Massachusetts to start in the same game for BC.

KARNIK POSTING DOUBLE-DOUBLES

James Karnik registered his second double of the season against Notre Dame – finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Karnik was 8-of-11 from the floor vs. ND, connecting on a 3-pointer. He also had two steals and two blocks.
The senior from Surrey, B.C. logged 11 points and 11 rebounds in 10 minutes of play in the first half vs. the Irish.
He had his first double-double in a BC uniform, logging 15 points and 13 boards vs. Rhode Island at the Sunshine Slam.
Since that game vs. Rhode Island, Karnik is averaging 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds.
Prior to that, through the first five games of the season, Karnik was averaging 5.0 points and 2.8 boards.
He has 14 career double-doubles, dating back to his three seasons at Lehigh (2017-20).

TRANSFERS WITH SOME EXPERIENCE VS. THE ACC

T. J. Bickerstaff registered 19 points, five rebounds, and two steals at Pitt last season while at Drexel.
While at CofC, Brevin Galloway averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in two games vs. ACC foes.
In the 2020-21 opener, Galloway scored 15 points – knocking down 3-of-6 from the perimeter – at North Carolina.
As a junior, Galloway tallied 10 points in a non-conference matchup against Wake Forest.

BOARD MAN BICKERSTAFF

T.J. Bickerstaff tied for the fifth-most rebounds in a game in Boston College history, grabbing 17 boards vs. Columbia.
The 17 rebounds also rank as the fourth-most in a single game in Conte Forum history.
Danya Abrams holds the BC rebounding record, grabbing 20 boards at home vs. Providence on Jan. 22, 1994.
It was Bickerstaff’s second game with at least 15 rebounds – and his third double-digit rebounding game – of the season.
He registered his first collegiate double-double – 22 points/15 rebounds – and three steals and two blocks at Rhode Island.
Bickerstaff is one of only four players nationally to have a stat line with at least 22-15-3-2 in a single game.
The transfer from Drexel is shooting nearly 45% from the floor, including close to 44% from beyond the arc on the season.
He leads BC and ranks eighth in the ACC in overall rebounding (7.3), including ranking third in OReb (2.8).

QUINTEN POST-ING NUMBERS

Quinten Post made an impact in his first game for Boston College, registering a new career-high with 14 points vs. Dartmouth.
The 7-0 center is averaging 8.6 points and 5.2 boards per game through 12 outings.
That is an improvement of +5.8 points and +3.1 rebounds per game from a season ago.
Post had 13 points against Notre Dame and UAlbany and 11 points versus USF.
He pulled down a season-best nine rebounds versus North Carolina – one shy of his career-best.
He has reached double figures six times this year, while nearly logging a double-double vs. Fairfield (9 pts/8 reb).

G ON IT

Gianni Thompson – in his first extended action since the Holy Cross game – knocked down two 3FG vs. North Carolina.
Thompson was the first Eagle off the bench, playing 10 minutes. He scored six points and blocked a shot.