Second-ranked Cavs set sights on Eagles

Jan 17, 2015 - 3:53 PM Chestnut Hill, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - The second-ranked Virginia Cavaliers put their perfect record on the line on Saturday afternoon, as they take on the Boston College Eagles in an ACC affair at the Conte Forum.

Tony Bennett's Cavaliers are one of just two unbeatens left in the country, the other being the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats. Virginia is off to its best start since the 1980-81 season and moved to 16-0 overall and 4-0 in league play with Tuesday's 65-42 rout of Clemson.

Jim Christian's Eagles are treading water right now at 8-7 overall. League play has been particularly challenging for BC, which is still searching for its first ACC win of the season. The Eagles are 0-3 in the ACC, but did halt a three-game slide with a hard-fought 64-57 OT victory against local rival Harvard on Wednesday.

Virginia holds a 10-7 advantage in the series with Boston College and that includes a 7-7 mark in ACC games. The Cavaliers have won three of the last four meetings, including a 77-67 decision in Charlottesville last season. Still, Boston College has won four of the five meetings in Chestnut Hill.

There is no secret as to how Virginia likes to win games. Under Bennett, the Cavaliers have utilized stifling defensive play and this year is no different. Virginia ranks first in the nation in scoring defense (50.6 ppg), holding foes to a meager .338 shooting, while holding a hefty +10.9 rebounding margin. Just because it is a defense-first mentality at Virginia, doesn't mean the team is void of offensive talent. The Cavs are shooting an impressive .485 from the floor this season, with three of the five starters averaging double figures. Justin Anderson paces the team at 14.9 ppg. Malcolm Brogdon is next in line at 13.2 ppg, followed closely by Anthony Gill and his 11.8 ppg.

Virginia dominated at both ends of the floor against Clemson, holding the Tigers to a mere .357 shooting effort, while delivering on a cool 50 percent of its own shots. The Cavaliers really blew the game open in the second half, converting a scorching 62.5 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes of action. Brogdon and Anderson were the leaders at the offensive end, netting 16 and 15 points in the win, respectively.

Patrick Heckmann caught fire in the overtime session, netting nine of his 14 points in the frame to lead Boston College to a thrilling win over rival Harvard last time out. Olivier Hanlan had a strong game as well, finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds. Big man Dennis Clifford posted a double- double with 13 points and 10 boards, while Aaron Brown contributed 12 points for the Eagles, who shot 51.9 percent from the floor for the game, including a sizzling 6-of-7 in the overtime session.

The shots haven't fallen quite as efficiently on the year for Boston College, which enters this game with modest offensive numbers, averaging 65.8 ppg on 43.8 percent shooting. Hanlan is a jack-of-all-trades kind of player who gets involved in every facet of the game. He leads the team in scoring (16.4 ppg), assists (4.5 apg) and steals (1.8 spg) and also grabs just over four rebounds per outing (4.1). Brown is a close second in the scoring column with his 14.4 ppg.