Boston College vs. Virginia: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 24: The Virginia Cavaliers celebrate after defeating the Rhode Island Rams 70-55 to win the NIT Season Tip Off tournament championship at Barclays Center on November 24, 2017 in the Brooklyn brough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Boston College currently sits atop the ACC standings after a massive upset win over Duke in a shootout. Can they beat another ranked team in Virginia?

TV schedule: Saturday, Dec. 30, 2:00 p.m. ET. ACC Network

Arena: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia

The Eagles of Boston College 10-3 (1-0) have been an early surprise in the ACC. Not only has the team avoided any bad losses, but earlier in the season they pulled off the upset of previously No. 1 Duke, 89-84.

The three-headed guard monster of Ky Bowman, Jerome Robinson, and Jordan Chatman has scored the vast majority of the points, especially since Illinois State grad transfer Deontae Hawkins went down for the season with a knee injury earlier on. Bowman, in particular, has been great, averaging 16.6 ppg and nearly dropping a 30-point triple-double in the Duke win.

The Eagles won their first game against an offensive juggernaut, but now they’ll have to play the best defensive team in not just the league but the whole country. The No. 9 ranked Virginia Cavaliers 11-1 (0-0) are the top-ranked team in terms of scoring defense at 52.3 ppg and has the second best defensive rating as well.

The defense has been elite, but the offense hasn’t been that bad led by sophomore Kyle Guy. After being a role player a year ago, Guy has excelled as the top offensive option, averaging 16.1 ppg while shooting 45% from three-point range. Wing Devon Hall is the other double-digit scorer at 12.4, while another four players score somewhere between 6.5-7.9 ppg.

The only loss for the Cavs has been to West Virginia, which is good for Tony Bennett and his team. The problem is the wins over Vanderbilt and Wisconsin have looked bad over time. That doesn’t mean that Virginia’s resume isn’t good, but the team does need a few top-tier wins (and to avoid losses) to solidify top-four seed.

Next: ACC Power rankings before league play begins

As good as Boston College has looked, they are a fairly predictable team in terms of where the offense comes from. That plays perfectly into how Virginia operates on defense. The Eagles got close to 90 against the Blue Devils, but they’ll be lucky to get to 70 in this game.

Prediction: Virginia 73 – Boston College 62