Boston College @ Georgia Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 6, 2018 ) Georgia Tech 77, Boston College 87

Duke’s heralded freshman class gets plenty of deserved attention, but Boston College junior Ky Bowman is putting together quite the season – without as much fanfare – entering the Eagles' visit Sunday to Georgia Tech. The guard ranks third in the ACC in scoring at 19.4 points per game and comes off a 25-point, 12-rebound performance in Boston College’s 66-59 upset of Louisville on Wednesday, missing a triple-double by two assists.

Bowman scored 10 of the Eagles’ final 13 points in the game's final 2½ minutes to lift Boston College to its third victory in five games, finishing with 20 points in the second half while playing every minute for the fourth time in his past five contests. “I felt like the energy started flowing again for everybody, not just me,” Bowman said of the Eagles' late-game surge. The Yellow Jackets have dropped nine of their past 10 games after Wednesday’s 81-51 defeat at second-ranked Virginia and were overmatched throughout, hitting just 37.5 percent of their shots while the Cavaliers shot 55.6 percent in building a 19-point halftime lead. “I thought the defensive energy was fine,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner told the media afterward. “I had no issue with that. I just think Virginia’s really good.”

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE (14-13, 5-10 ACC): Bowman’s performance is all the more critical for the Eagles considering freshman guard Wynston Tabbs (13.9 points per game) has missed the past 10 games with a left leg injury. Bowman sits tied for seventh in the ACC with teammate Steffon Mitchell in rebounding per game (7.7) and tied for ninth in assists per contest (4.0). Junior forward Nik Popovic scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Louisville and ranks fifth in the league in field-goal percentage (52 percent).

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (12-17, 4-12): Turnovers have hindered the Yellow Jackets all season, but they committed just seven against Virginia while sophomore guard Jose Alvarado (12 points) led the team in scoring for the fourth consecutive game. Sophomore forward Moses Wright scored six points with seven rebounds, and is averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 boards in his past five games. Freshman Guard Kristian Sjolund is 11-of-30 on 3-point attempts while averaging eight points in the past six games as his playing time has increased.

TIP-INS

1. Georgia Tech junior F James Banks III ranks second in the ACC and 12th nationally in blocked shots per game (2.5), but did not block a shot at Virginia after recording 22 in his previous six contests.

2. Bowman missed nine of his first 11 shots against Louisville but shot 4-of-7 from the field and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line in the second half.

3. The Yellow Jackets are fourth in the ACC and 19th in the country in field-goal percentage defense (39.8 percent), but have surrendered 80-plus points in back-to-back games.

PREDICTION: Boston College 68, Georgia Tech 62