ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

No. 11 Boston College (19-14, 8-12 ACC) vs No. 3 Virginia (22-9, 13-7 ACC)

9:30 p.m., ESPN

Virginia enters the postseason fray on Thursday night, when the Hoos return to action in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals tonight against 11-seeded Boston College in Washington, D.C.

The Cavaliers earned a double-bye in the ACC Tournament for the second consecutive year and the 12th time in the last 14 years with a 13-7 conference record.

Boston College jumped on Clemson early in Wednesday’s nightcap, leading by 15 before taking a 12-point lead into the locker room and never relinquished it after the break. The Eagles never led by less than 10 in the final 20 minutes and cruised to a 76-55 upset win.

Having beaten 14-seeded Miami on Tuesday night, they have now won four straight games dating back to the end of the regular season, with all four coming away from home.

UVa and BC met just once in the regular season, with Virginia holding off the Eagles in Chestnut Hill for a 72-68 victory on February 28. Virginia got off to a great start that night, leading 11-2, before the Eagles chipped away and eventually took a three-point second-half lead. The Wahoos closed strong, though, and earned a win that helped stop a two-game losing skid at the time while also keeping them in the mix for the top-four ACC seed that they eventually earned. It also helped keep them in most NCAA Tournament bracket projections.

Virginia has played 21 games in the ACC Tournament over the past decade but hasn’t met the Eagles in the bracket since a first-round clash in 2010, Tony Bennett’s first year at Virginia.

Part of the reason UVa and BC haven’t met in the ACC Tournament is that the Hoos are usually starting play in the Quarterfinals, while BC is often playing on the opening day. But Boston College’s run to the Quarterfinals is actually its third run from Tuesday to Thursday in the tournament since 2018. The Eagles haven’t made it to the ACC Tournament Semifinals since 2007.

Tonight’s game is obviously the first step in UVa’s quest to either win a third ACC Tournament in a decade, to reach the semifinals for the eighth time in that span, or to make the title game for the fifth time in that period. But perhaps more importantly, UVa’s NCAA Tournament position is far from solid heading into tonight’s game. Most bracketologists have UVa on the right side of the bubble, but just so, with many brackets having the Hoos as one of the last four at-large teams in the field.

A win over Boston College wouldn’t make UVa’s tournament resume, but it might break it if the results of bubble teams this weekend aren’t fortuitous for the Hoos. BC ranks 91st in the NET as of late Wednesday night, a number that will likely be higher by Thursday morning, so tonight’s game will be a Quad-2 opportunity for Virginia. Another win of any kind is good for the Cavaliers and gets them closer to lock status, while a loss to th Eagles (much worse on paper than a loss to Clemson would have been) could put UVa’s NCAA hopes in serious peril heading into the weekend.

BC isn’t moving the needle nationally and still finished in the bottom six of the ACC standings with an 8-12 record, but the Eagles have quietly improved quite a bit year over year. Last season, they ranked 187th in KenPom, winning 16 games. This year, they are closing in on 20 wins if they can upend Virginia tonight, and have increased their KenPom ranking by 83 spots from a year ago.

The Eagles are 72nd nationally in offensive efficiency, up more than 150 spots from this time last year. Boston College shoots the 3 well, ranking 49th nationally at 36.4 percent on the year. The Eagles are also top-100 nationally in turnover rate allowed, effective field-goal percentage and free throw shooting. Defensively, they rank 125th nationally in efficiency. Their best two areas are avoiding fouls, where they rank 70th in free throw rate allowed, and not allowing offensive rebounds, where they rank 78th nationally. BC does give up a good number of 3s, with opponents knocking down 35.1 percent this year. Earl Grant’s bunch doesn’t force many takeaways either, ranking 237th in turnover rate.

In the regular-season meeting, UVa won by taking care of the basketball, knocking down 3s, and handling business at the free-throw line. Virginia turned it over just five times in Chestnut Hill in what was a clean game for both teams. Offensively, UVa got 18 from Reece Beekman, 14 from Isaac McKneely and 13 from Ryan Dunn, and as a team the Hoos went 8-for-21 from deep. The game had some tense moments, but UVa was able to extend its lead to two possessions and keep it there, going 16-for-22 at the free-throw line.

Quinten Post, Forward

BC’s best player is its aptly-named post presence. The Dutch big man was a Second-Team All-ACC selection, averaging 17 points and 8.1 boards per game while making 40 percent of his 3s. Post has faced UVa three times between this season and last, and has two 24-point efforts against the Hoos.

Claudell Harris, Guard

BC’s top-scoring guard, Harris transferred in after two years at Charleston Southern. He is scoring 13.3 points per game, hauling in 3.6 rebounds per contest as well. The Louisiana native had just 8 points in the loss to UVa last month, but he has four 20+ point efforts this season and shoots 36.7 percent from deep. Harris had a huge game against Clemson on Wednesday, going for 24 points in the victory.

Jaeden Zachary, Guard

A veteran presence, Zachary is another solid scorer for the Eagles. The third-year guard is averaging 11.5 points and 4.3 assists per game this season, third on the team in scoring behind the aforementioned Post and Harris. Zachary had 12 in the loss to UVa and dished out four assists. He also came up big in BC’s win over Miami on Tuesday, scoring 16 points in the win, and followed it up with 22 against Clemson last night.

Devin McGlockton, Forward

A physical presence, McGlockton can score, rebound, and make athletic plays. The Georgia native is averaging 10.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season, and does a little bit of everything, surrounded by a physical post player and some good offensive guards. McGlockton scored 9 points against the Hoos last month before ultimately fouling out of the game.

Clemson came out flat against the Eagles on Wednesday and paid the price. UVa would be wise to avoid doing the same tonight.

BC is hot right now and playing confident basketball, winners of four straight. UVa caught the Eagles in the midst of a four-game losing streak that preceded their recent uptick in form, so the Hoos have to be ready for a better version of them tonight.

A loss to Clemson wouldn’t have hurt the resume but they’re now in a position to take some damage if the Eagles upset them. But it might also be a tall task for BC to win a third game in as many days days against a fresh UVa team that can wear down opponents.

Schematically, this one likely comes down to which team hits outside shots, and which defense can make the critical stops. Both are capable but UVa has been more consistent. We’ll go with the Wahoos in a game that doesn’t guarantee them a spot in the NCAA Tournament but would move them even closer.