On Tuesday night, Boston College will continue their short homestand when they host the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds at Conte Forum for an ACC-Patriot League showdown. Coming off of a close win against Temple, the Eagles are starting to feel better about themselves and will look to improve their out-of-conference record before they head to the Cayman Islands Classic next week.
Who: Boston College Eagles (2-1) vs Loyola (MD) Greyhounds (2-2)
Where: Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA
When: Tuesday November 19th, 2024
Tip-off Time: 6pm ET
How to Watch: This game will be streamed live on ACCNX here
Still need to catch up on all of the changes for Boston College’s roster this season? Check out our full preview here.
Loyola just faced off against VCU on Saturday, the same team that Boston College played against two weeks ago, and the Greyhounds similarly lost by 20+ points. They also lost to Columbia to open the season, and their two wins have come against Lancaster Bible (a DIII school) and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. They are coached by Josh Loeffler, who took over the program in March 2024 after a season that saw them finish 7-25.
Their roster looks very different than it did last season, though, with their top-3 scorers Deon Perry, Alonso Faure, and Golden Dike leaving the program in the offseason. This year they are led by senior forward Milos Ilic and senior forward Veljko Ilic, a pair of 6’9” and 6’10” twins from Serbia. Milos has been the team’s leading scorer in this early season, shooting 53% inside the paint and racking up 8+ rebounds per game. He will be a challenge to defend for BC’s frontcourt. Alongside the Ilic twins are sophomore wing Jordan Stiemke and freshman guard Braedon Speed. Stiemke hasn’t been afraid to unleash his shot from behind the arc so far, while Speed has been a dynamic scorer that will weave his way through traffic.
It will be a good test for this Boston College defense to match up with this roster that can make things happen on a few different levels. The skill and recruiting pedigree of these rosters should favor the Eagles, but it’s up to this new team with new faces to show up and ball out. We know that head coach Earl Grant will make these guys grind on the defensive end of the court, but on offense they will need someone to rise up to the occasion and get the team in rhythm. Elijah Strong was able to do it for BC against Temple last time out, but will he again? In such a young and unpredictable season, it’s tough to say.