Boston College Hosts #7/7 Duke on Saturday Evening

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BOSTON COLLEGE VS. DUKE – ALL-TIME SERIES

This is the 28th meeting between the Eagles and Blue Devils. Duke holds a commanding 24-3 lead in the all-time series.
In ACC regular-season play, Duke is 18-2 vs. the Eagles. Duke has won the last six and 16 of the last 17 meetings.
Last year, #21/24 Duke escaped, 83-82, at Cameron on Jan. 6, 2021. The Blue Devils earned an 86-51 win over BC in the ACC Tourney.
BC’s last win over Duke: an 89-84 home victory on Dec. 9, 2017. Two of the Eagles’ three wins over Duke have come at Conte Forum.

BOSTON COLLEGE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS

Boston College is 67-254 overall against ranked opponents.
BC is 20-129 all-time against teams ranked in the top 10.
BC was 0-4 vs. teams ranked in the top 25 in 2020-21.
The Eagles are 2-10 in their last 12 games against ranked teams.
The last win over a ranked opponent came on Jan. 7, 2020 – a 60-53 victory over #18/18 Virginia at Conte Forum.
The last two – and three of the last four – wins over top-five opponents were against the #1 team in the country.

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

Duke has been ranked in 26 of the previous 28 meetings against Boston College.
Since 1996, 10 BC players matched Jaeden Zackery’s stat line vs. Syracuse – 18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
They are: Ryan Sidney (three times), Ky Bowman (twice), Troy Bell (twice), Tyrese Rice, and Troy Bell.
However, Zackery is the ONLY Boston College player to register that stat line without committing a turnover.

ON THIS DATE: FEBRUARY 12

Boston College is 13-12 all-time – and 3-4 in ACC play – in games played on the February 12 calendar date.
February 12 marks the celebration of National Plum Pudding Day.
Several notable events in history occurred on February 12 – 1851 – Gold discovered in New South Wales, beginning Australia’s first gold rush; 1877 – The first news dispatch by telephone took place, between Boston and Salem; 1878 – Frederick Thayer patents the catchers mask; 1909 – The NAACP forms; 1924 – Gershwin debuts his “Rhapsody in Blue;” 1964 – The Beatles play their first two shows in NYC at Carnegie Hall.
Notable February 12 birthdays: NBA great Bill Russell; U.S. President Abraham Lincoln; naturalist Charles Darwin; former First Lady Louisa Catherina Adams; comedian Arsenio Hall; actress Joanna Kerns; author Judy Blume; rapper Gucci Mane.

DEMARR TRENDING

Over the last three games, DeMarr Langford Jr. is averaging 14.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
He’s shooting nearly 55% (17-31) from the floor over the three games while committing four turnovers in 102 minutes.
Langford Jr. connected on 3-of-7 from the perimeter and has made all five free-throw attempts over the three-game span
Last time out, Langford Jr. had 14 points and six rebounds at home against Syracuse.
The sophomore had his second-best scoring night of the season against Pitt, pouring in 17 points.
Langford Jr. added 11 points and five boards at Virginia.
The Worcester wing ranks second on BC in scoring (10.6), fourth in rebounding (4.5), and third in assists (2.2).

TIME TO START TALKING MAKAI FOR ACC MOST IMPROVED

Makai Ashton-Langford is a strong candidate for the ACC’s most improved player, showing marked statistical improvement, year over year.
Ashton-Langford is scoring 4.0 more points/game, leading BC at 12.5 ppg.
His rebounding per game figures are also improved by 0.4 per game.
Ashton-Langford has posted three 20+ performances in his last 10 games.
In his previous 90 games, he had scored 20 or more points only one time.
Ashton-Langford has scored in double digits in 16 of 21 games for BC in 2021-22.
From 2017-20, he scored in double figures 14 times in a 78-game span.
He has led the team in scoring six times in 2021-22; he did so just twice from 2017-20.
In ACC games, Ashton-Langford is averaging nearly +4.0 ppg year over year – 13.6 in 2021-22 vs. 10.0 in 2020-21.
His points/rebounding averages are also improved year over year in ACC play: 13.6/3.7 in 2021-22 vs. 10.0/3.3 in 2020-21.

BOARD MAN BICKERSTAFF

T.J. Bickerstaff registered his second 17-rebound game of the season at North Carolina.
Bickerstaff is one of 15 players nationally – two in the ACC (Bacot – UNC) to have multiple games with 17 rebounds or more.
Fourteen of Bickerstaff’s 17 rebounds came on the defensive glass versus the Tar Heels.
The last BC player to grab at least 14 defensive boards in a game – Ky Bowman (16) – against Notre Dame on Jan. 12, 2019.
The 17 rebounds tied for the fifth-most rebounds in a game in Boston College history.
Danya Abrams holds the BC rebounding record, grabbing 20 boards at home vs. Providence on Jan. 22, 1994.
Bickerstaff also corraled 17 boards at home vs. Columbia – the fourth-most in a single-game in Conte Forum history.
The last BC player to have at least two games with 17+ rebounds – Ryan Anderson – during the 2012-13 season.
Bickerstaff has registered four games with at least 15 rebounds this season – tied for most in the ACC this season (Bacot).
The last BC player to have at least four games with 15+ rebounds – Craig Smith – during the 2005-06 season.
The Atlanta product has six double-digit rebounding games so far in 2021-22.
The last BC player to have at least six games with double-digit rebounds – Steffon Mitchell – during the 2019-20 season.
Bickerstaff has two double-doubles on the season, most recently at Louisville, finishing with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
He registered his first collegiate double-double – 22 points/15 rebounds – and three steals and two blocks at Rhode Island.
He leads BC and ranks sixth in the ACC in overall rebounding (8.0), including ranking third in OReb (2.8).

ZACKERY MAKING AN IMPACT

Jaeden Zackery ranks third on BC in scoring (9.4), second in assists (2.5), and first in steals (1.4) so far this season.
Among all ACC first-year players, Zackery ranks seventh in scoring, fourth in assists, and third in steals.
He has reached double-digits 10 times and has led the Eagles in scoring on five occasions.
Against Syracuse, he scored a team-high 18 points while logging season-bests in rebounds (6), assists (6), and steals (3).
The Salem, Wisc. product has registered an effective FG% of 51.8% and a true shooting percentage of 54.2% in 22 games.
Zackery is connecting on 43.1% of his 3-point attempts on the season, knocking down 28-of-65.
He is one of 13 freshmen nationally to shoot 43% or better from 3FG (28 3FGM min).
He was named to the Sunshine Slam All-Tourney team, after scoring a season-high 19 points against Rhode Island.
The 6-2 guard added 15 points (3-4 3FG) vs. Utah the night before in the semifinal round of the Sunshine Slam tourney.
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.

POST PRESENCE OVER LAST FIVE

Quinten Post is averaging 10.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocked shots per game over the last five.
Against Syracuse, Post logged his second double-double of the year, with 14 points and a career-best 14 rebounds (7 OReb).
He tallied his first collegiate double-double at home vs. Pitt, with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
During the five-game span, the 7-footer from Amsterdam is connecting on 50.0% (20-40) from the floor.

BACKCOURT BEST SERVED LATE

Makai Ashton-Langford and Jaeden Zackery are scoring at a higher clip in the second half.
Ashton-Langford is scoring 7.1 of his 12.5 points per game in the second half.
Zackery is averaging 5.8 points during the second half – nearly 60% of his scoring. He is scoring 9.4 points per game.
Sixteen of Zackery’s 28 3-pointers have come in the second half; eight of those 16 in the final 5:00 of regulation.

FREE THROW DISCREPANCIES OVER LAST FOUR

In 12 ACC games, BC is being outscored at the FT line by nearly 4.0 points; opponents are taking +4.0 FT attempts per game.
Over the last four conference games, BC is being outscored by nearly +10 points from the foul line.
Opponents have been awarded 89 trips to the free-throw line over the last four games. Boston College has attempted 38.
Boston College is making nearly 85% (32-38) of its FT attempts during the four-game span; opponents are at 79.8% (71-89).

KARNIK THE CATALYST

When James Karnik scores in double figures, Boston College is 4-2. In ACC play, BC is 3-1 when Karnik scores at least 10.
In the six games when he scores in double digits, Karnik is averaging 17.2 points per game, shooting 70.5% (43-61).
Karnik is scoring at a 19.0 points per game clip and shooting 75% (33-44) in the four ACC games he scores 10+.