Miami struggling around perimeter with Boston College on deck

Miami finds itself in a slump at a critical juncture of the schedule as it prepares to visit Boston College on Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The Hurricanes (17-5, 6-3 ACC) have followed a 10-game win streak with a 2-3 stretch that has endangered their NCAA Tournament hopes.

Jai Lucas, Miami's first-year head coach, said the path to improvement is on defense.

"We have to guard the ball better," Lucas said. "We have to defend without fouling."

Miami ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring (84.7) and fifth in defensive average (70.1). The Hurricanes also lead the league in field-goal percentage (51.1).

The issue is that Miami ranks last in the ACC in both 3-pointers made per game (6.8) and 3-point-percentage allowed (35.4). The Hurricanes allowed Cal to make 10 of 23 shots from the arc in an 86-85 loss last week.

Miami's Malik Reneau ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring (19.9), and on Thursday he was one of 10 players named to the Karl Malone Award watch list for top power forward in the country.

Ernest Udeh Jr. tied for first in the league in rebounds (9.9 per game) and Shelton Henderson is third in field-goal percentage (60.8). Tre Donaldson is Miami's second-leading scorer (16 ppg) and fourth in the ACC in assists (6.1), while Tru Washington adds 11.9 points and 1.9 steals per game.

Boston College (9-13, 2-7) arrives in Miami on a three-game losing streak. The Eagles have also lost five straight road games, and they haven't won away from home since defeating Temple on Nov. 15.

Most recently, the Eagles lost 67-49 at No. 4 Duke on Tuesday. Duke got off to a 13-0 start as Boston College missed its first six shots and turned the ball over three times during that span.

"I wasn't expecting that," Boston College coach Earl Grant said of his team's poor start. "We hadn't experienced that all year. They hit us."

For the season, Boston College ranks last in the league in scoring (67.2), field-goal percentage (40.4), assists (11.3) and 3-point percentage (29.4).

Boston College is led by Fred Payne, who tallies 15.1 points and 3.0 assists per game, and Donald Hand Jr. (14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg). Jayden Hastings adds 5.9 rebounds per game and ranks fourth in the ACC in blocked shots (1.7).