Virginia Cavaliers vs Boston College Eagles Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Virginia Cavaliers vs Boston College Eagles

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, MA

TV: ESPN+

The Boston College Eagles (9-11) host the Virginia Cavaliers (17-3) at Conte Forum on Saturday.

The Virginia Cavaliers took the court against Notre Dame and walked away with a win by a score of 100-97 in their last contest. Virginia finished the contest having earned a 47.7% FG percentage (31 out of 65) and buried 10 out of their 29 shots from 3-point land. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cavaliers buried 28 of 35 shots for a percentage of 80.0%. In reference to rebounding, they collected 36 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 21 dimes for the contest as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 5 steals. Pertaining to the defense, Virginia allowed their opponent to shoot 47.5% from the floor on 29 of 61 shooting. Notre Dame earned 15 dimes and had 5 steals for this contest. On top of that, Notre Dame grabbed 29 rebounds (6 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Notre Dame walked away from this one shooting 82.4% at the free throw line by making 28 of their 34 shots. They converted 11 of 27 attempts from distance. In regard to personal fouls, the Cavaliers finished with 27 while Notre Dame accounted for 25 personal fouls.

Thijs De Ridder is someone who was a major factor for this contest. He accumulated 32 points on 9 of 20 shooting. He played for 34 minutes played and pulled down 8 rebounds. He finished the game at 45.0% from the field and distributed 3 assists.

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Virginia steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss mark of 17-3 for the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.9 times per contest and as a squad are committing 19.3 fouls every game. As a team, Virginia is pulling down 42.0 boards per game and has 349 assists this season, which is 55th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Cavaliers are shooting 36.6% on 3-pointers (208 of 568) and 70.8% from the free throw line. They average 84.6 pts per game (43rd in college) while hitting 47.3% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Cavaliers are forcing their opponents into 10.8 turnovers every game while drawing 19.1 fouls. They are giving up 30.4% on shots from downtown and they are 72nd in Division 1 in opponents points per game (69.5). The Cavaliers are allowing a field goal percentage of 39.2% (467 of 1,192) and they surrender 32.8 boards per game as a team. They are 39th in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 229 relinquished for the season.

The last time they took the court, the Boston College Eagles took a loss by a final score of 68-64 when they played Notre Dame. The Eagles collected 22 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 29 for the matchup. They turned it over 9 times, while recording 2 steals in the matchup. Notre Dame committed 16 fouls for this game which took the Eagles to the charity stripe for a total of 14 tries. They were able to bury 9 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 64.3%. In reference to shots from distance, Boston College made 9 of their 32 attempts (28.1%). When all was said and done, the Eagles finished the game shooting 23 for 58 from the field which had them at 39.7%. The Eagles allowed Notre Dame to make 24 of 59 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.7% in this contest. They finished the game shooting 23.1% from beyond the perimeter by going 6 out of 26 and finished the game at 14 of 22 at the free throw line (63.6%). When talking about rebounds, Boston College permitted Notre Dame to get 37 overall (12 on the offensive glass).

Fred Payne ended up being a major contributor for the Eagles for the game. He racked up 18 points in his 36 mins of playing time and totaled 4 assists for this game. He knocked down 8 out of 17 for this game for a field goal percentage of 47.1%, and totaled 5 rebounds.

Boston College has a record of 9-11 for the season. The Eagles commit 17.0 personal fouls per game and they connect on 66.3% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 11.4 times per contest (340th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 10.5 times per game. Boston College has earned 1,364 points for the season (68.2 per game) and they pull in 37.9 boards per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Eagles are hitting on 40.2% from the floor, which has them ranked 351st in the country.

The Eagles defensively are ranked 51st in college in points per game surrendered with 68.2. They have forced 10.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 40.9% from the field (47th in D-1). The Boston College defense gives up 30.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter (131 of 431) and their opponents are making 65.2% of their free throw attempts. They allow 11.6 assists and 38.2 boards per game, which is ranked 52nd and 336th in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Virginia

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