Previewing No. 17 Virginia basketball’s Saturday afternoon matchup at Boston College

The Virginia Cavaliers (17-3, 6-2 ACC) avoided disaster on Tuesday evening at Notre Dame, rallying from a 19-point deficit to steal a 100-97 win in double-OT from the Fighting Irish. Behind an overpowering performance by Thijs De Ridder (32 points, 8 rebounds) and some timely shot-making by Sam Lewis (21 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists), the ’Hoos willed themselves to their sixth ACC win of the season and escaped what would have been a second-consecutive loss.

While it was disappointing to see Ryan Odom’s squad come out flat in South Bend after blowing a double-digit lead inside JPJ against North Carolina, the ’Hoos showed a lot of heart in rallying from a near-twenty-point deficit. Plus, a shaky win is certainly better than a loss.

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With South Bend in the rearview, Virginia turns its sights toward Boston College on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles (9-11, 2-5 ACC) are once again struggling under head coach Earl Grant, who has led the program to just one winning season in four years, but they have won two of their past three and are 8-3 in Chestnut Hill.

Tipoff against Boston College is scheduled for 1:30 PM EST inside Conte Forum with coverage available on The CW. To get you set for UVA’s ninth ACC matchup of the season, here are two Eagles to know, one key thing to watch out for, and one prediction for Saturday’s contest:

Two Eagles to know

#5 | Fred Payne

A 6-foot-1 lefty combo guard from Grambling, Louisiana, Fred Payne is averaging a Boston College-high 15.1 points per game while shooting 41.5% from the field and 35.9% from beyond the arc.

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Now a redshirt sophomore (due to a knee injury suffered early in his first season at BC), Payne was a four-star recruit in the high school class of 2023, and the redshirt sophomore has spent his entire collegiate career with the Eagles. A twitchy, scrappy guard who can score at all three levels, Payne will pose a challenge for a Virginia backcourt that lacks in defensive quickness (aside from Chance Mallory).