Wagner vs Boston College prediction: Luke Murray's transfer-built Boston College debuts against a rebuilt Wagner

Boston College starts from zero

Few programs have changed as completely as Boston College did this offseason. The Eagles fired Earl Grant on March 8, 2026, hired UConn assistant Luke Murray, and rebuilt the roster from scratch. Players on this year's team account for 0.0% of last season's minutes. Only Jack Bailey and Will Eggemeier return. Murray brought in 13 newcomers, 11 of them transfers.

That makes last season's numbers close to irrelevant. The Eagles went 11-20, and the players behind that record are gone. One piece of the old identity is worth noting: last season's team finished 51st nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponents). The offense ranked 278th. Murray inherits neither, and the first real test of what he has built comes on Nov. 3. BC first hosts MIT in an exhibition on Oct. 25.

The transfer core carries it

Murray went shopping for production, and the résumés are real. Money Williams averaged 20.6 points and 4.7 assists at Montana last season, with a usage rate of 34.1%, meaning the offense ran through him. Ernest Shelton played 36.9 minutes a night at Merrimack and made 99 threes.

Up front, Brandon Benjamin averaged a double-double at Fairfield last season, 14.2 points and 10.4 rebounds. Andrija Bukumirovic posted an offensive rating of 121.5 at UT Martin while shooting 36.4% from three, which gives BC a forward who can space the floor. Armoni Zeigler, a Ball State transfer, adds a third ball handler. Jacob Furphy, a former UConn player Murray recruited there, is also part of the group.

The question is not talent but fit. Five players who each carried big roles elsewhere now share one ball, and season openers rarely look polished.

Wagner's own reset

Wagner is no more settled. The Seahawks have 14 new players and Dwan McMillan running the program in his first full season, after serving as interim coach following Donald Copeland's suspension. Wagner plays an exhibition at CSI on Oct. 24 before opening the regular season here.

Last season's Wagner team went 14-17 and finished 299th in adjusted net efficiency. Two traits stood out: it crashed the offensive glass, with an offensive rebound rate (share of its own misses recovered) of 33.9%, 82nd nationally, and it gave the ball away often, with a turnover rate of 19.7%, 338th. With so many new faces, neither habit is guaranteed to carry over, but a team that turns it over and fights for second chances is a reasonable starting guess for a program in transition.

Size and the free-throw line

Boston College's roster averages 78.3 inches weighted by minutes, against 76.4 for Wagner. With Benjamin and Bukumirovic up front, the Eagles should hold an edge on the boards and around the rim.

The line could also look different in Chestnut Hill. Last season's Eagles made just 65.3% of their free throws, 360th of 365. The newcomers point the other way: Shelton shot 87.2% at the line last season and Williams 85.5%. Bukumirovic, at 57.5%, is the exception. If the opener stays close late, BC's new guards are the ones the Eagles want handling the ball.

What to watch

• Williams' role: whether his usage at Montana translates when he shares the floor with Shelton and Zeigler.
• Wagner's ball security: whether last season's turnover problems followed a rebuilt backcourt.
• Rebounding: BC's size against Wagner's glass-crashing instincts.
• Availability: no injuries had been reported for either team as of mid-October.