Two of the bottom four teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings will meet in Raleigh, N.C., when Boston College opposes North Carolina State on Wednesday.
The Eagles (10-16, 5-11 ACC) snapped a five-game losing streak on Monday by beating Florida State 71-55 in Chestnut Hill, Mass., to earn their first win since January. The margin of victory matched Boston College’s largest in a conference game this season.
The Eagles jumped out to an 11-0 lead and led wire-to-wire as four of their five starters scored in double figures. Jaeden Zackery was a perfect 4 of 4 from 3-point range as part of his 18-point effort. James Karnik finished 6 of 6 from the floor en route to 16 points.
“We want to be playing our best basketball possible that we can play when we get to (the ACC tournament in) Brooklyn,” Boston College coach Earl Grant said. “The only way you can do that is if you keep getting better. You don’t grow weary. You show up every day. You come in and work at it. And so (Monday) was a good step.”
One disadvantage Boston College will be facing as it aims for its first winning streak of 2022 is a quick turnaround. The Eagles will be playing their second game in three nights, while NC State (11-16, 4-12) has had a week off since its last game.
Much like their opposition for Wednesday, the Wolfpack also snapped a long losing streak in their latest game. NC State beat Georgia Tech 76-61 in almost identical fashion to Boston College’s win Monday, taking a 10-0 lead over the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta and never trailing.
“It was probably our best half we’ve played in the first half where I thought we shared the ball with each other,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. “And then we were really, really good defensively, we were stingy.”
The Wolfpack limited the Yellow Jackets to 37.5 percent field-goal shooting on the night, including 22.7 percent (5 of 22) from 3-point range.
The Wednesday contest is the only scheduled meeting between the teams this season.
–Field Level Media
