Boston College’s new era has already started with a win, and now the Eagles get a bigger stage.
On Friday, Nov. 6, Boston College will meet UMass at TD Garden in the Hall of Fame Series Boston. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m., with coverage on ESPN+.
The Eagles are coming off a 76-50 win over Wagner on Tuesday, a result that gave Luke Murray his first victory as a head coach. Boston College’s debut under Murray featured a balanced scoring night, led by Money Williams, who posted 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in his BC debut.
The supporting cast showed up, too. Armoni Zeigler gave the Eagles a lift off the bench with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Žak Smrekar added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in his collegiate debut. Luke Hunger finished with nine points and five rebounds, Ernest Shelton scored nine points and hit 3 of 6 from beyond the arc, and Brandon Benjamin chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds.
Friday’s matchup also brings back a familiar rivalry. It will be the 49th meeting between Boston College and Massachusetts, with the Eagles holding a 26-22 edge. UMass won last year’s meeting, 76-74.
The game will also put the two programs on the TD Garden floor against each other for the first time since 2014.
Murray is in his first season as the Clement and Elizabeth Izzi Family Head Men’s Basketball Coach after serving as a key staff member at Connecticut, where he was part of two national championships and three national title game appearances over the last four years. He also helped guide an NCAA Tournament team in nine of the last 10 tournaments and built a reputation as one of the sport’s top offensive minds and one of the most sought-after recruiters in college basketball before arriving in Chestnut Hill.
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The bigger concern for Boston College is how quickly the margin got away from it before the comeback effort could settle in. Vermont tacked on a power-play goal and later an empty-netter to close things out, a reminder that BCs record now sits at 2-5-1 overall and 1-2-0 in league play, with too many problems surfacing before the Eagles can even get to their game. [Read more 🡒]