Winner Claims Massachusetts, BC to Take on UMass Friday at TD Garden
By: Luke Ballard
TD GARDEN – Hot off a season-opening win, the Boston College Eagles (1–0, 0–0 ACC) will take on their in-state rivals, the UMass Minutemen (1–0, 0–0 MAC), in the TNT Sports Hall of Fame Series Tip-off.
Looking to bounce back from a 76–74 loss to the Minutemen in the 2025 season under Earl Grant, BC aims to snap UMass’s four-game win streak in the series. The Eagles’ last win came in 2010 at TD Garden, defeating UMass 76–71 en route to a 22–13 record on the season.
Per Maysum Hassanali, WZBC Sports Radio
This Friday, BC will look to rely on their core rotation, playing only eight players in their matchup against Wagner this past Tuesday. Headed by Money Williams and Žak Smrekar, who combined for 74 minutes, the Eagles will look towards their two newest facilitators as they prepare to face a defensively sound unit in UMass.
Williams struggled in the first half of Tuesday’s contest, often being unable to create space on the floor and find his spots, while heavily favoring his left-handed side. However, as the game carried on and Wagner repeatedly dared Williams to drive the right-side lane, Williams was able to favor his left and draw multiple fouls. Ending the night 11-of-15 from the foul line, Williams was exceptionally effective at getting himself to the line. Where the worry lies is whether this style of play is feasible against bigger and more skilled opponents that BC will end up facing in ACC play.
BC’s big men provided solid support for the front-court, as Brandon Benjamin and Luke Hunger added 15 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.
Surprisingly, despite the dominant performance in the box score, BC only totaled 12 assists between the eight-man rotation. Although the assist total was low, BC averaged 1.188 points per possession, a .188 increase from the 2025–2026 season.
Even though BC finds itself in the win column after opening night, a newfound sense of dissatisfaction was displayed by players after the game.
“If we play like that going forward,” Williams said in the post-game presser, “we’re going to lose every game.”
WATCH IT HERE: Per Mike Sidhly on X.
Despite the negative connotations of Williams’ statement, fans of BC Basketball felt a sense of relief, as outspoken accountability and ownership were seemingly absent among last year’s roster and staff.
Per Maysum Hassanali, WZBC Sports Radio
As BC moves forward to UMass this Friday, a new era seems to be rising from the ruins in Chestnut Hill.
Catch Grady Daniels and Elijah Lundberg on the call tomorrow at 4 pm on WZBC Sports on X and Twitch.