***Join us in the Turtle Power chat starting at 4:00 p.m. for Maryland-Boston College***
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — With finals week looming and the holidays just around the corner, the Maryland Terrapins (7-3) are focused on their Atlantic Coast Conference opener as they host the Boston College Eagles (7-2) at Comcast Center this afternoon at 4:00 p.m.
Maryland will not resume conference play until Jan. 9 when they travel to Durham to take on top-ranked Duke, but Gary Williams and the Terps desperately want to start the conference schedule on a positive note. After non-conference losses to Pitt, Illinois, and Temple, Maryland’s NCAA tournament hopes will largely depend on their fate in what looks to be a wide-open conference once you look past the dominant Blue Devils at the top.
The Terps are fresh off a 99-56 victory over lowly UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night as four players scored in double figures. Jordan Williams led the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds, good for his eighth double-double of the season and fourth straight.
Boston College is led by new coach Steve Donahue, who led Cornell to the Sweet 16 last March before agreeing to become the new coach of the Eagles. Not a whole lot is expected of the Eagles this season, but they already hold non-conference victories over Texas A&M, California, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Providence.
Junior Reggie Jackson will pose a major challenge to the Terps’ backcourt, as the guard averages 19.6 points per game and has reached double figures in all but one game this season. Jackson scored 26 points in the Eagles’ most recent victory over Providence on Wednesday night.
This afternoon’s game will be televised on Fox Sports Net (Comcast SportsNet locally) at 4:00, and we’ll have the Turtle Power chat open as always. Remember to follow us on Twitter (@WNST) for the quickest updates and analysis from College Park!
