Ryan Anderson and the Boston College Eagles (5-9) open Atlantic Coast Conference play against the No. 3/4 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (13-2) at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday afternoon at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. (TV/Radio: TV38/WEEI).
Boston College and North Carolina have played 12 times, with the Tar Heels holding an 8-5 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams first met in the 1966-67 season, when BC was defeated by UNC, 96-80, in the East region final. The Tar Heels hold a 6-4 advantage in the series since the Eagles joined the ACC in the 2005-06 season. BC had won two games in a row two seasons ago, but the Tar Heels defeated the Eagles twice in the regular season last year.
The Eagles are coming off a closely contested 78-72 loss to the Rhode Island Rams in double overtime. Ryan Anderson had 18 points and 14 rebounds in the loss for BC, which shot 48.1 percent from the floor. BC had all five starters reach double-digit scoring, with Dennis Clifford (12 points), Lonnie Jackson (12 points), Jordan Daniels (11 points) and Patrick Heckmann (11 points) joining Anderson with 10 or more points.
North Carolina is coming off a 102-65 massacring of the Monmouth Hawks last Sunday. John Henson scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds for UNC, which made 37-of-68 field goals to shoot 54.4 percent. Harrison Barnes scored 18 points, P.J. Hairston added 16 points and Reggie Bullock scored 11 points. Tyler Zeller added eight points and 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels in the win.
UNC is ranked No. 1 in the nation in both points for (88.1 PPG) and rebounds per game (47.1 RPG) and is also ranked second in the country in total assists (19.7 APG). Barnes is the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.1 points, while Henson is second in scoring with 15.0 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 10.0 boards per contest. In addition, Kendall Marshall averages 10.0 assists per game for the Tar Heels, who have won seven games in a row.
Meanwhile, Boston College is unranked and in the midst of a rebuilding season. The Eagles are ranked 300th in the country in points per game (61.8) and 309th in rebounding (31.2 RPG). Heckmann is the team's leading scorer, averaging 11.3 points while shooting 46.2 percent. Ryan Anderson averages 9.4 points and a team-high 6.4 boards.
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