Boston College @ Duke preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 5, 2019 ) Boston College 55, Duke 80

Duke has cruised to a pair of lopsided victories without its floor general, but the hope moving forward is that Tre Jones doesn't have to miss any more games due to injury. The sophomore point guard is expected to return Tuesday as the second-ranked Blue Devils ramp up Atlantic Coast Conference play in earnest at home against Boston College.

Jones suffered a minor left foot sprain in practice earlier this month, but the setback was about as well-timed as it could have been with only two games scheduled - an 86-57 rout of Wofford on Dec. 19 and a 75-50 win against Brown last Saturday - since the injury occurred. Although Duke didn't appear to miss him much versus the Terriers, his absence was a bit more noticeable against the Bears as the Blue Devils finished 2-of-16 beyond the arc. The Eagles held on for a fourth straight win Saturday after going on a 17-2 run to overcome an 11-point second-half deficit in a 64-60 victory against California at the Al Attles Classic in San Francisco. "When we play the way we're supposed to play, the way we guard (and) rebound the basketball, we're really good. When we come out of character and play a little too much individualized or don't guard things the way we do, we're not," sixth-year coach Jim Christian told reporters afterward.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ACC Network

ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE (8-5, 2-0 ACC): Graduate transfer Derryck Thornton (team-high 13.8 points) will visit Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time since averaging 7.1 points with the Blue Devils during his freshman season prior to transferring to USC. Junior forward Steffon Mitchell (7.2), who is the only other player besides Thornton to start all 13 games for the Eagles, leads the conference in steals (2.3), ranks fourth in rebounding (team-high 8.9) and 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.95). Sophomore forward Jairus Hamilton (9.6 points, 3.9 rebounds) set a career high with 18 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1 1/2 minutes remaining, and added a season-high eight boards versus the Golden Bears.

ABOUT DUKE (11-1, 1-0): Vernon Carey Jr., who has already posted eight double-doubles - most among all freshmen - and is the only Division I player with six games of at least 20 points and 10 boards, ranks first in the ACC in field-goal percentage (.610) and third in rebounding (9.0) as well as fourth in scoring (18.7 points) and blocks (2.1). The Blue Devils are averaging 32.6 points from their reserves during their five-game winning streak; Matthew Hurt (10.2 points), Wendell Moore Jr. (7.2) and Alex O'Connell (7.2) supplied the bulk of Duke's bench scoring against Brown, combining for 32 of the team's 34 points from non-starters. Prior to missing the last two contests, Jones (15.6 points, ACC-best 7.1 assists, 2.1 steals) was averaging 16 points, 8.2 assists and 2.8 steals in 39.4 minutes over his previous five outings.

TIP-INS

1. Duke has won 12 of the last 13 meetings and holds a 21-3 advantage in the all-time series.

2. Mitchell, who is the ACC's active rebounding leader (610), is the only player in the country averaging at least 8.9 boards, 3.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.9 blocks.

3. The Blue Devils can become the fourth Division I team to reach 300 wins in this decade with a victory Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Duke 80, Boston College 67