Boston College, Virginia desperate to end losing skids

Field Level Media|published: Mon 20th January, 14:47 2025

Jan 18, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles guard Donald Hand Jr. (13) shoots over Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel (7) during the second half at Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Two teams hoping to claw their way into Atlantic Coast Conference tournament contention meet on Tuesday night when Virginia welcomes Boston College to Charlottesville, Va.

Only 15 of the league's 18 members will make the field for the league tourney on March 11-15 in Charlotte, N.C. As this week began, both the Cavaliers (8-10, 1-6 ACC) and Eagles (9-9, 1-6) were on the outside looking in.

Virginia has a five-game losing streak, with four of those setbacks by at least 14 points. Boston College has lost four in a row and is 0-3 in road games.

The Cavaliers remained winless in 2025 with Saturday's 81-67 setback at Louisville.

After falling behind by 11 at the half, Virginia shot 65 percent from the floor in the second half but also shot itself in the foot repeatedly with 12 turnovers and 7-of-13 free-throw shooting over the final 20 minutes.

"No one makes a mistake on purpose, so I'm never going to think negatively of a player trying to make a play that's going to help the team," interim coach Ron Sanchez said. "Those aren't selfish plays. Everything that they're doing is trying to help this team win. So, I'm going to continue to encourage them ... teach them through their mistakes."

Boston College shot 58.3 percent (14 of 24) from the field in the first half on Saturday against No. 3 Duke, the highest clip by any opponent in either half against the Blue Devils this season.

"We had to play four guards, which was not something we've had to do a lot," Eagles coach Earl Grant said, per MassLive.com. "We focused on preparation and came out with a good plan and got more confident."

Duke, however, opened the second half with a 9-2 run and rolled to an 88-63 victory in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Donald Hand Jr. (14.7 points per game) and Chad Venning (12.7) lead Boston College in scoring, while Virginia's top scorers are Elijah Saunders (12.1) and Isaac McKneely (11.8).

Virginia is 21-9 all-time against Boston College, winning six of the past seven meetings. The Cavaliers won 66-60 in overtime in the quarterfinals of last year's ACC tourney in Washington, D.C.

--Field Level Media

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