Notre Dame @ Boston College preview
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Last Meeting ( Jan 16, 2021 ) Boston College 70, Notre Dame 80
It's hard to imagine a team that has had a more disjointed season in college basketball than Boston College.
The Eagles not only have struggled to a 3-13 record going into Saturday's home contest against Notre Dame, but they have had seven games postponed since Jan. 20 due to COVID-19 issues.
They haven't won a game since Jan. 12 and, if all that weren't enough, after a 75-67 loss at Syracuse on Feb. 13, Boston College head coach Jim Christian was fired.
Assistant coach Scott Spinelli was tabbed as Boston College's interim coach, but he has yet to lead in a game because of postponements.
Spinelli and the players have done their best to forge on, but just getting back on the court to play a game will feel like a victory.
"The guys have been working really hard trying to fine-tune some things," Spinelli said to the Boston Herald. "Nothing has changed for us, we are trying to win, we are trying to get better in practice each day. There are things that are glaring that we are trying to work on."
Boston College is led in scoring by Jay Heath (14.3 points per game), with Wynston Tabbs contributing 13.3 per game.
One game that wasn't postponed for Boston College was a Jan. 16 contest at Notre Dame, which was won by the Fighting Irish, 80-70.
Notre Dame (9-12, 6-9) will look for the season sweep in the rematch and to also get back on track following two straight losses, the latest being a 69-57 setback at Louisville on Tuesday.
Led in scoring by Nate Laszewski (14.3 points per game), Prentiss Hubb (13.7) and Dane Goodwin (12.3), the Fighting Irish rely primarily on a seven-man rotation.
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey knows the importance of having all of his rotational players at their best, something he said wasn't the case at Louisville.
"We need all seven of them to beat anybody," Brey said. "Seven have to be in a pretty good rhythm."
Despite its record, Notre Dame still is a threat for an NCAA Tournament berth.
The Fighting Irish were No. 73 in the NET rankings as of Thursday, and a strong finish could propel them toward an at-large berth.
--Field Level Media