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Seiberlich: State of the Union

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Photo Courtesy of BC Athletics

The past week has been a tough one for those of us that follow Boston College basketball. After ripping off consecutive wins against Louisville and Miami, the Eagles dropped two winnable games on the road. First, the Eagles lost at Florida State by a score of 84-76. This game was especially frustrating because the Eagles played far below their capabilities in the first half, but managed to go into the locker room with a tie game. However, things only got worse in the second half. The Eagles turned the ball over 16 times, and allowed the Seminoles to shoot 55% from the field. Jaeden Zackery led the Eagles in scoring with 19 points, including his 1000th point as an Eagle. But BC just could not string together enough stops to pull out a win. 

Then, just four days later, the Eagles dropped their second consecutive game to NC State, by a score of 81-70. While this was only an 11-point loss, the Eagles were never truly in this one, never even getting within five points for the final 31 minutes of the contest. Mason Madsen continued his hot streak, leading the Eagles with 21 points on 8-11 shooting. But Madsen was the only starting Eagle to reach double figures. Zackery had a less-than-stellar performance, scoring 9 points on 4-9 shooting, with 2 assists and 3 turnovers, but he still outplayed BC’s remaining starters outside of Madsen. Quinten Post, Claudell Harris Jr., and Devin McGlockton combined for 13 points on just 2-18 shooting. 

The Eagles got some meaningful bench production from sophomores Prince Aligbe and DJ Hand. Aligbe had an efficient outing against NC State, scoring his 12 points on 5-6 shooting (1-1 from three!). Aligbe was one of the lone positives from last Saturday, as he has really struggled to find his groove since being taken out of the starting lineup. Eagles fans will hope Aligbe can continue to be productive in his minutes off the bench for the final stretch of the season. 

DJ Hand had similarly efficient production off of Coach Grant’s bench, scoring his 11 points of 4-7 shooting from the field (3-3 from three!). This is Hand’s sixth game in double figures this season, as the sophomore guard continues to show his ability to give a spark off the bench. While it has been difficult to trust Hand in consistent minutes, given his defensive struggles and less than ideal 38.8% field goal percentage, expect Grant to continue to give the sophomore guard opportunities down the stretch. 

Lastly, I would be remiss not to mention the fantastic basketball we are seeing from Mason Madsen. Since being inserted in the starting lineup against Duke, the veteran guard has arguably been the Eagles’ best player. In the last five games, Madsen is averaging 17.2 points and 4.6 rebounds on 56.6% shooting from the field, and an incredible 51.4% (18/35) from three. Madsen also has not missed a single free throw attempt this season, shooting a perfect 29 for 29 from the charity stripe (jinx incoming). 

Now at 15-12 (6-10 ACC) on the season, the Eagles are three games better (overall) record-wise than their 12-15 record at this point last season. However, it certainly does not feel that way. Through 16 ACC games, Boston College has the exact same record they had through 16 games last season, now sitting at 6-10. Now that BC Hoops have some semblance of expectations on them this season, seeing no improvement in ACC play feels like a step back. A far cry from the ‘breakthrough” narrative the program has been pushing towards this season. 

Last season, the Eagles ended their regular season strong, going 3-1 in their final four regular season games. This stretch included marquee wins over 6th-ranked UVA and tournament-hopeful Wake Forest. If Grant is going to end this regular season on a similar note, he is going to need to get his defense to at least resemble last year’s intensity, continue to ride Madsen’s hot hand, and get Post and Harris Jr. some good looks on offense. While Madsen has looked great the last five games, Post and Harris Jr. have each had their share of tough outings. If Boston College is going to put together a run down the stretch, they are going to need their best players to step up to the plate. 

The Eagles return to action tonight in Conte Forum, where they will take on the Virginia Cavaliers at 9PM. While UVA is currently projected to be an NCAA tournament team, the Eagles actually opened as 1.5-point favorites. With NCAA Tournament hopes having been in the rearview mirror for the last six weeks, the absolute best case scenario for this team is an NIT bid. Right now, the Eagles are likely on the outside looking in, but a strong regular season finish, plus a win or two in the ACC tournament would go a long way in returning the Boston College Eagles to postseason play. 

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Boston College lands one of nation’s top rebounders in Brandon Benjamin, along with former Charleston forward Colby Duggan

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Boston College received two more transfer commitments this weekend in Brandon Benjamin and Colby Duggan. Benjamin and Duggan join Money Williams, Ernest Shelton and JB Frankel as the fourth and fifth transfers to commit to Luke Murray and BC this offseason. The Eagles now have seven players on their roster, including international signing Zak Smrekar and Jack Bailey, the only BC player from last year not to enter the portal.

Benjamin, a 6-foot-8 forward from Newark, N.J., played his only collegiate season last year at Fairfield University. The rising sophomore was named to the 2025-26 MAAC All-Rookie Team and All-MAAC Second Team after averaging 14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 56.5% from the field. Benjamin ranked first in the MAAC and eighth in the country in rebounds per game and second in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.25).

“What made me pick BC first was the coaching staff,” Benjamin told ZAGSBLOG on Sunday. “It really felt like family. I will bring my high motor, plus rebounding, finishing around the rim and taking guys off the dribble. [I also bring] my catch-and-shooting, pick-and-pop, my winning impact and my versatility with guarding 1-5 with the ability to block shots.”

Duggan, a 6-foot-7 forward from Monson, Mass., averaged 9.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 19 games for Charleston last season after missing the first part of the year with an injury. He spent the previous two seasons at Campbell University and averaged 15.7 points and 3.3 rebounds on 34% shooting from 3-point range during the 2024-25 season.

“He competes on both ends of the court at all times,” former Charleston head coach and current USF head coach Chris Mack said. “He’s a warrior. He’s a winner. Defensively, Colby doesn’t back down. He guards well in the post and on the perimeter. Offensively, he led the conference in scoring and is just scratching the surface of what he can be as a mismatch.”

Benjamin should slot into the starting lineup as the power forward or a small-ball big thanks to his impressive rebounding ability, while Duggan comes to BC as a depth piece off the bench.

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Former Merrimack sharpshooter Ernest Shelton commits to Boston College

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Guard Ernest Shelton announced his commitment to Boston College early Thursday night. The former Merrimack Warrior became the fourth transfer to commit to head coach Luke Murray and the Eagles, joining Zak Smrekar, Money Williams and JB Frankel. Shelton was named to the 2025-26 All-MAAC first team while helping lead the Warriors to a MAAC regular-season championship.

Shelton played two seasons at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, on the opposite side of the state from his hometown of Philadelphia, before transferring to Merrimack last offseason. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 15.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 34.6% from behind the 3-point line.

“[Shelton]’s a shooter,” Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo said. “Every time it comes out of his hand, you think it’s going in.”

Shelton knocked down 99 3-pointers for Merrimack last season and was among the top 40 in the country in 3-pointers made per game (2.9). He set a career high last season with nine 3-pointers in a game against Boston University and made five or more 3-pointers in six games.

The sharpshooter is a breath of fresh air for a Boston College program that finished last in the ACC in 3-point percentage last season.


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Boston College lands Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel, first three transfer commitments of Luke Murray era

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Boston College received its first three transfer commitments of the 2026 transfer portal cycle on Thursday in Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel. Smrekar, Williams, and Frankel are the first three players to commit to BC since Luke Murray was named head coach on March 26 and join Jack Bailey as the only three players currently on the Eagles’ roster.

Smrekar is a 19-year-old, 6-foot-7 guard from Slovenia and was the first to commit to Murray. He played for the club Krka Novo Mesto in the Slovenian ABA for three seasons and averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15 games in the 2025-26 season. Smrekar also played for Slovenia in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup and averaged 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in seven games.

Williams is a 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 guard who played the last three seasons for Montana. The Oakland, California, native was named to the 2025-26 All-Big Sky First Team after averaging 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on 49.8% shooting from the field. Williams scored a career-high 40 points against Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Tournament, along with tallying six other 30-point games last season.

“I can’t come up with enough words to praise Money Williams properly,” Montana head coach Travis DeCuire said in October 2025. “When you talk about the young man that he is off the court, the young man he is when you bring him in the office, and you have real conversations with him and look him in the eye and talk about things that are hard to talk about.”

Frankel is a 21-year-old, 6-foot-3 guard who is not moving far, as he played the last three years at Northeastern. He started 13 of 30 games for the Huskies last season and averaged 5.9 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. The New York City native scored a season-high 13 points in a road win against Harvard.

Coach Murray will have to continue to build up the Eagles roster, but with three guards being picked up, look for the Eagles to hone in on finding their starting forwards and big men.

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