Inconsistency has been the story for Boston College in the last month, as the Eagles have dropped five of their last seven games. Hope is fading for the Eagles' with every conference loss, making their rematch with ACC foe Maryland at Conte Forum on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. EST (TV/Radio: ACC Network/WEEI) a crucial contest.
Boston College holds a 7-6 advantage in the all-time series with Maryland following its 79-75 upset win on December 12, 2010 in College Park, MD. Prior to that, Maryland bested BC, 73-57, on January 16, 2010 at Conte Forum. The Eagles have won six of the last eight meetings with the Terrapins and are 1-2 against Maryland at Conte Forum.
The Eagles (15-9, 5-5 ACC) are coming off of a 77-69 loss at Clemson on February 8th. Reggie Jackson scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds and Joe Trapani added 22 points and eight rebounds in the loss. BC shot 38.3% (23-for-60) from the field and 30% (9-for-30) from three-point range.
Prior to the loss against Clemson, the Eagles edged conference rival Virginia Tech, 58-56, on Saturday, February 5th at Conte Forum. BC lost three straight against Florida State, Duke and North Carolina before beating the Hokies.
Jackson leads the team in scoring, averaging 18 points per contest, and also leads the Eagles in assists (4.8 APG) and steals (1.1 SPG). Trapani is second in scoring with 14.9 PPG and leads BC in rebounding (7.5 RPG). Corey Raji is third in scoring (12.1 points) and second in rebounding (6.5 RPG). Biko Paris is the only other Eagle to average double-digit scoring with 10.4 points per game.
BC is ranked 83rd in the nation in scoring (73.1 PPG) and ranks 65th in the country in team field goal percentage (46.2%) and 41st in assists (15.3 APG). One of the Eagles pitfalls is rebounding, ranking 296th in the nation with 32.2 rebounds per contest.
Maryland (16-8, 5-4 ACC) has been on a roll as of late, winning five of its last six games. The Terrapins are fresh off a 106-52 trouncing of Longwood on February 9th. Sean Mosley led the Terps with 20 points and Terrell Stoglin added 15 points. Maryland shot 54.2% from the floor and made 18-of-26 free throws in the victory.
Jordan Williams is the Terrapins' leading scorer (17.3 PPG) and rebounder (11.9 RPG). Cliff Tucker is second in scoring (11.1 PPG) and Dino Gregory is second in rebounding (5.8 RPG) for Maryland.
The Terps rank 24th in the country in scoring, averaging 77.8 points per game, and rank ninth in rebounding (40.3 RPG), ninth in assists (17.4 APG) and 20th in team field goal percentage (47.7%).
Boston College faces No. 20 North Carolina in its next game on Saturday, February 19th in a game that could decide the fate of the Eagles' season. Maryland is on the road to play Virginia Tech in its next game on February 15th.