Preview: Wake Forest v. Boston College #TheRivalry

When the Boston College Eagles travel to Winston-Salem to take on the Demon Deacons, it won't be about the half time show, President Obama, or any of the other A-list celebrities who will be in attendance. It will be about a rivalry. One that dates back hundreds of years and is separated by a mere 775 miles of pure and unadulterated hate. A feud whose history is so rich that Paula Dean refuses to cook it. Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan once called it "too intense to watch." Though some may say it's just another game... to the 1,000,000,000 screaming fans its known as #TheRivalry.

Effective Field Goal %

Effective scoring is hands down BC's biggest offensive asset. Olivier Hanlan is a versatile scorer who gets it done in a varitety of ways, made notable by his eFG% of 52.7%. Even more absurd is Hanlan's true shooting % of 60.3%, considering that he has attempted 147 shots from behind the arc. Junior center Ryan Anderson is another dangerous offensive weapon for the Eagles. Anderson is known for his ability to score around the rim, as 94% of his shots come from inside the arc. The Eagles have a few guards who can stroke it from deep, as Lonnie Jackson and Joe Rahon shoot 36.6% and 40.5% respectably.

Turnover %

Boston College, like Wake, splits the ball handling duties between their two combo guards. The back court duo of Hanlan and Rahon boast assist rates of 19.6% and 21.8% respectably. Joe Rahon only possesses the ball 17.9% of the time but turns the ball over on 19.1% of possessions, so look for Wake to guard him aggressively. It will be interesting to see who, between Madison Jones and Coron Williams, gets the majority of the minutes alongside Codi Miller-McIntyre in the Deac's back court.

Rebounding

For the first time in a while it looks like Wake Forest will have an advantage in the rebounding department. Rebounding has been a struggle for the Eagles all season and it won't get any easier, as Devin Thomas is one of the ACC's best rebounders. Boston College tends to run with their smaller line up and they rely on heavily on Ryan Anderson. Despite a lack of help, Anderson has been an absolute monster on the glass, grabbing offensive rebounds on 10.1% and defensive rebounds on 18.7% of opportunities.

Free Throw Rate

Wake Forest (1st in the ACC) will have the edge in getting to the charity stripe, however it won't be as significant of an advantage as usual. The Eagles get to the foul line on 41.7% of their field goal attempts (3rd in the ACC), but their key players are much better at finishing at the line. Olivier Hanlan has a free throw rate of 63% and shoots 81.4% from the line, while Ryan Anderson has a rate of 71.4% and makes 73% of these shots. Wake Forest will need Tyler Cavanaugh and Bill Moto to continue to attack and finish at the line to counter a solid free throw shooting BC squad.

Conclusion

They say to throw the record out the window when these two teams play for a reason, and Saturday will be a great example. Wake Forest has really struggled defending the three of late, and Boston College may be the best deep shooting team the Deac's have played all season. Wake Forest will have to take care of the basketball and really crash the offensive boards to make up for the Boston Colleges effective scoring. I think that Travis McKie will be the X-factor, and his play will determine the outcome of this game. The Eagles tend to play a man defense which would give a 6'4 Lonnie Jackson the responsibility of covering a big and lethal Travis McKie. In the end, I think Wakes ability to rebound and get to the rim wears Anderson and the Eagles out. Wake wins their second straight.

Prediction

via media.giphy.com

Boston College 71

Wake Forest 74

Tip off is at 4 p.m., so come on out and support the team. As always, go Deacs!