On Wednesday evening, the BC men’s basketball team renews a local rivalry when they face off against UMass in Springfield. Although it’s a low bar these days, the two teams are competing for bragging rights as the best team in the Commonwealth this year.
Who: Massachusetts Minutemen (6-3) vs. Boston College Eagles (5-5)
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Where: MassMutual Center, Springfield, MA
When: Wednesday, December 10th
Tip-Off Time: 7:00 pm ET
How to Watch: ESPNU
UMass is riding a 3-game winning streak into this game over Oregon State, Harvard, and UMass Lowell. They haven;t scored fewer than 65 points in a game this season and are led by senior tandem Marcus Banks and Leonardo Bettiol. Banks is a 6’2” guard out of Hampton, VA who is deadly from three-point range and can guard well on the perimeter. Bettiol is a 6’8” forward out of Italy that makes his living in the paint, shooting almost 60% from the field, racking up 8 rebounds per game, and getting to the free throw line often. The two players combine to average 33 points per game just themselves, leading a strong UMass offense against some rather weak competition so far this season.
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UMass is exceptional at rebounding, especially offensive rebounding, something that BC has struggled to defend this season. They’ll need Boden Kapke, Jayden Hastings, and others to really hit the glass in this match-up to avoid giving up too many extra possessions. Especially for a BC offense that has struggled to put up points, they can’t afford to give UMass more opportunities close to the rim.
Despite Banks’s shooting range, UMass generally struggles shooting from beyond the arc. UMass also struggles with interior defense, turnover margin, and they have one of the lowest free throw percentages in the nation. If the Eagles can force the Minutemen into tough three-pointers and physical shots in the paint, it should be easier for BC to take a hold of the game.
Prediction: Boston College 70 UMass 60
