Basketball
Preview: Boston College takes on Miami in Crucial Matchup
CHESTNUT HILL, MA – At 4PM this afternoon, the Boston College Eagles (14-10, 5-8 ACC) will take on the visiting Miami Hurricanes (15-10, 6-8). The Eagles are coming off of a 12-point win against the last-place Louisville Cardinals, while Miami is coming off of a three-game skid, with losses to Virginia, North Carolina and Clemson.
With the two teams separated by just half a game in the ACC standings, this game is massive in terms of ACC tournament implications. The middle of the ACC is so congested, with eight teams with 6-8 losses. So the winner of this matchup will put themselves in a great position to compete for the first round bye in the ACC tournament.
Both Boston College and Miami are in desperate need of a solid ACC win. The Eagles have allowed too many closely-contested league games to slip away. And Miami, as previously mentioned, has lost three straight games. But, Miami is not the same team that made the Final Four last season, as they lost their top two scorers in Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller.
But the Canes still return key pieces in Nijel Pack, Norchad Omier, and Wooga Poplar. Omier has been the Hurricane’s best player this season, as he’s sixth in the ACC in scoring and second in rebounding. And Pack has been a veteran presence at the point for Miami, averaging 13.7 points and 3.9 assists.
Miami boasts some considerable length in their starting lineup with 6’5 Poplar, 6’7 Matthew Cleveland, and 6’8 Kyshawn George filling out their wing positions. The Eagles have struggled with similar length (see Syracuse and FSU), but Quinten Post should have a considerable height advantage against the 6’7 Omier. If the Eagles want to have a chance to win this game, Post and McGlockton will need to dominate the glass, and limit the second chances that hindered them against FSU and Louisville.
Eagles fans will hope that Claudell Harris Jr. and Devin McGlockton can ride their momentum from last game against Louisville. Harris Jr. led the Eagles with 20-points on an efficient 8-12 shooting, a refreshing change from his prior few games where he struggled from the field. McGlockton added 19 of his own on a similarly efficient 8-11 shooting. McGlockton has been the Eagles most consistent performer in ACC play, averaging 13.8 points on an absurd 62.7% shooting clip.
Lastly, look for Mason Madsen to make his third consecutive start this afternoon. The junior guard was inserted into the starting rotation after Prince Aligbe suffered an ankle injury. However, even with the sophomore Aligbe returning to action, Madsen has more than earned his spot with the starters, averaging 13 points and 4 rebounds on 52.9% (9-17) shooting from the field, and 37.5% (3-8) from three.
Boston College enters this game as 1.5-point favorites, so this could very well be another game that comes down to the final few minutes. Coach Grant must avoid the Eagles getting off to another slow start, as they’ve spotted their opponents double-digit leads far too many times. As always, Eagles Daily will be live on the scene, in what should be packed Conte Forum. So, follow along for all updates, as the Eagles have one of their most pivotal games of the season.
Basketball
Boston College lands one of nation’s top rebounders in Brandon Benjamin, along with former Charleston forward Colby Duggan
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.
Basketball
Former Merrimack sharpshooter Ernest Shelton commits to Boston College
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.
Basketball
Boston College lands Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel, first three transfer commitments of Luke Murray era
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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Basketball5 months agoBoston College lands one of nation’s top rebounders in Brandon Benjamin, along with former Charleston forward Colby Duggan
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