The No. 17 UVA Cavaliers take on the Boston College Eagles on Saturday in an ACC college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 1:30 p.m. ET in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Cavaliers are listed as 13.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 136.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this ACC college basketball matchup.
Boston College vs. UVA prediction, preview
It has been a rough season for Boston College, who sit at 9-11 on the season and in 13th place in the ACC. They suffered some terrible out-of-conference losses to teams like Central Connecticut, Davidson, Tulane, and UMass. They managed to pick up a couple of ACC wins, but it has not been pretty in conference play either. The Eagles rank dead last in the conference in scoring, averaging just 68.2 points per game. Not only are they the lowest-scoring team in the ACC, but they would be in the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and Big East as well. They rank 331st out of 365 Division I teams in points per game and 279th in offensive rating.
It has been a good season for Virginia, who rank third in the ACC and sit at No. 17 in the latest AP poll. It is Ryan Odom’s first season in charge in Charlottesville, and he has already made a massive impact on this group. The program was in flux for a stretch after Tony Bennett’s surprise retirement, and he has quickly steadied the ship. The Cavaliers are still a methodical group, like they were under Bennett, ranking 279th in the nation in adjusted pace. However, they are very efficient in the halfcourt. Standout freshman forward Thijs De Ridder is averaging 17.1 points and 6.4 boards per game, leading the way for the Hoos.
Boston College vs. UVA pick
My best bet is for Boston College to finish under its team total of 62.5 points. The Eagles are the worst team among the major conferences when it comes to putting points on the board. They rank 279th in the nation in offensive rating and struggle to score against anybody. They will have a particularly hard time against the Cavaliers, who rank 28th in the country in defensive rating. Virginia ranks 279th in the country in adjusted tempo, so it has no interest in turning this into a track meet. Boston College won’t be able to get any cheap points in transition against UVA. The Eagles will have to work hard in the half-court to find open looks and get any sort of offense going. That will be a massive struggle for them, and they should finish the game under their team total.
