Boston College took a major step towards redemption on Saturday, defeating conference rival Virginia Tech in a nail-biter. The win snapped the Eagles' three-game losing skid and gave them a 5-4 record in ACC play. The Eagles attempt to continue their redemption process when they face the Clemson Tigers in an ACC tilt in South Carolina Tuesday night at 9 p.m. EST (TV/Radio: ESPNU/WEEI).
Clemson holds an 8-4 lead in the all-time series against Boston College. The Eagles won the last meeting between the two schools, 75-69, on January 26, 2010, at Conte Forum. Prior to that, Clemson had won four in a row and five of six games against BC. The Tigers won the first meeting of the 2010 season, 72-56, at Littlejohn Coliseum on January 9th. Boston College is 0-4 against Clemson in games played at Littlejohn Coliseum.
BC (15-8, 5-4 ACC) has struggled as of late, losing four of its last six games. Prior to Saturday's win against Virginia Tech, the Eagles had lost three straight games to Florida State, Duke and North Carolina.
Reggie Jackson continues to lead the Eagles in scoring (17.6 PPG), assists (4.8 APG) and steals (1.1 SPG), but has struggled in the past four games. In the Eagles' loss to UNC, Jackson scored a season-low six points. He finished with 10 points in BC's win over the Hokies.
Joe Trapani has picked up the slack for BC, and is averaging 14.6 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds. Corey Raji averages 12.3 points and 6.6 rebounds while Biko Paris averages 10.7 points and 3.5 assists for the Eagles.
The Eagles rank 80th in the nation in scoring, averaging 73.3 points per game. BC is 48th in the country in team field goal percentage (46.6%) and ranks 36th in assists with 15.4 dimes per contest. The Eagles biggest weakness is on the boards, where they rank 303rd in the country (32 RPG).
Clemson (16-7, 5-4 ACC) beat Georgia Tech, 65-56, in its last game on Saturday. Jerai Grant scored 20 points and Demontez Stitt had 16 points to pace the Tigers, who shot an impressive 56.8% in the victory.
The Tigers have split their last six games, winning three and losing three. Clemson lost two in a row to UNC and Maryland, which snapped a seven game winning streak. The Tigers proceeded to top both N.C. State and No. 22 Florida State before losing to Virginia, 49-47, on Wednesday, February 2nd.
Stitt is the Tigers' leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points, and also averages 4.1 rebounds and a team-high 3.4 assists. Grant is second in scoring, averaging 12.6 points, and leads the team with seven rebounds per game. Andre Young is the only other Tiger to average double-digit scoring with 10.9 points per contest.
Clemson ranks 200th in the country in scoring, averaging 68.4 points per game. The Tigers also rank 217th in rebounding (34.4 RPG), 190th in assists (12.8 APG) and 117th in team field goal percentage (45%).
Boston College hosts ACC foe Maryland in its next game on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST while Clemson hosts No. 20 North Carolina in its next game on Sunday, February 12th at 1 p.m. EST.