Boston College @ Richmond preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2017 ) Richmond 73, Boston College 78

Boston College has already suffered a pair of losses to mid-major squads and it will try to avoid a third when it visits a dangerous Richmond team Sunday. The Eagles have only a four-point home win over Eastern Washington to show for their last four contests, suffering double-digit losses to Belmont and Saint Louis and a close defeat to DePaul.

The Billikens scored 21 straight points in the second half at BC on Wednesday en route to a 64-54 triumph that left the Eagles wondering how they can establish some consistency. "What's more concerning is the stretch in the second half where it's a one-point game, two-point game and it goes to 15 because we become disconnected," Eagles coach Jim Christian told reporters. "I don't know why for one stretch per night we do that and why the beginning of the game doesn't carry for 40 minutes." The Spiders have knocked off Vanderbilt and Wisconsin in the early going and led at halftime against No. 17 Auburn in the Legends Classic on Tuesday before falling 79-65. Junior forward Grant Golden scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN

ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE (4-3): Senior guard Derryck Thornton led the Eagles with 18 points in the loss to Saint Louis, and he paces the team in scoring (16.4), assists (4.4) and steals (1.9). Senior forward Nik Popovic was the only other BC player to score in double figures with 15 points and he averages 13.7 and 6.4 rebounds. Aside from Thornton and Popovic, the rest of the team went a combined 6-of-26 from the floor versus the Billikens, as standout freshman Jay Heath (12.7 points per game) was absent due to an illness.

ABOUT RICHMOND (5-1): Golden injured an ankle in the loss to Auburn and coach Chris Mooney told reporters it is not the first time the big man has had that issue. "It's the same ankle (he hurt in the first game of the season)," Mooney said. "Structurally it seems to be OK but it's probably something else he'll have to be dealing with during the course of the next few days." Golden leads the team in rebounding (8.5) and is one of four players scoring in double figures, a quartet led by guards Nick Sherod (17.2), Blake Francis (16.7) and Jacob Gilyard (16.7).

TIP-INS

1. Sherod made 2-of-7 3-pointers in Tuesday's loss while his teammates were a combined 0-for-11.

2. Eagles F Steffon Mitchell averages a team-high 9.1 rebounds per contest but was held scoreless in 20 minutes versus Saint Louis.

3. The Spiders topped the Eagles in the Barclays Center Classic in 2016 and BC returned the favor the following season with an overtime triumph at home.

PREDICTION: Richmond 74, Boston College 72