Maine @ Boston College preview
Silvio O. Conte Forum
Last Meeting ( Nov 10, 2017 ) Maine 65, Boston College 85
When Boston College and California jointly agreed to postpone their game for Tuesday due to COVID-19 concerns, it didn't take the Eagles long to find a replacement. Boston College will try to bounce back from its worst home loss ever when Maine visits before the Eagles jump back into ACC action.
The Black Bears (0-2) seem like the perfect foil for the Eagles (1-5), who were drubbed 101-63 by Syracuse on Dec. 12 before taking time off for finals.
Maine has not won double-digit games in the past seven seasons and returns just 36 percent of its scoring from last season's team. Its first five games were canceled and the team didn't practice for 2 1/2 weeks. Its two losses came over the weekend, both to Hartford.
"I think they handled it as well as you can expect them to," Maine coach Richard Barron said of his 16-player team, which includes just four juniors and seniors. "I think they were all disappointed, me included."
Syracuse shot 58.7 percent from the floor against BC and made 16 of 31 shots from behind the arc while the Eagles shot 35.4 percent and 8 of 31 from deep. Defense has been a big problem for the Eagles. They allow 85.5 points on 51.3 percent shooting, though they have played a tough schedule with five of the six games against power conferences.
"There was no way I saw that coming and no way anyone saw that coming. I tried a bunch of different combinations, but if you're not going to play hard, it's hard to play anyone, let alone a good team," Boston College coach Jim Christian said.
Wynston Tabbs leads the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game and Quinnipiac grad transfer Rich Kelly and Jay Heath contribute 10.5 and 11.0 points per game.
The Black Bears won nine games last year -- a four-win improvement over Barron's first year when he moved into the role after coaching the women's team.
Against Hartford, the Black Bears erased a 15-point deficit to the Hawks but fell 63-60 on Hunter Marks' 3-pointer with two seconds left on Saturday in West Hartford, Conn. The teams battled again Sunday with the Hawks prevailing 65-50. UMKC transfer FoFo Adetogun scored 23 points in the two games and junior college transfer Lechaun DuHart added 22.
--Field Level Media