Syracuse basketball just notched its premier win of the current stanza, and now it has to keep that momentum going against Boston College.
Syracuse basketball remains a long way from re-entering the conversation for an at-large berth in the Big Dance, but the Orange’s overtime upset of then-No. 18 Virginia in Charlottesville this past Saturday is surely a step in the right direction.
For the ‘Cuse (9-7, 2-3) to even consider sniffing March Madness, or frankly even the NIT, Syracuse must get on a roll and begin to stockpile successes in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Orange is presently 0-3 versus league opponents at home during the 2019-20 campaign, and, suffice it to say, that disturbing record has to reverse – pronto.
The ‘Cuse possesses a primary occasion to garner an ACC victory on the Hill when Syracuse hosts Boston College (9-7, 3-2) this Wednesday night. Without question, the Eagles are a beatable foe, but that by no means ensures the Orange will come out on top.
For one, at this juncture, Boston College is a game ahead of the ‘Cuse in the conference race. Secondly, while Syracuse should feel proud of dethroning the Cavaliers several days ago, the Eagles recorded an identical feat – knocking off UVA – a few days prior to that, although Boston College did suit up on its own turf in that encounter.
On the year, the Eagles have a handful of additional solid victories, over the likes of Wake Forest, South Florida, Notre Dame (which bested the Orange by one point) and California. Boston College’s setbacks are to Georgia Tech, Duke, Northwestern, Richmond, Saint Louis, DePaul, and Belmont. Not an overly impressive resume for the Eagles, but certainly not terrible, either.
To date, Boston College is at No. 151 in the NCAA NET system, as compared to No. 84 for the ‘Cuse. In short, while the Eagles are a formidable adversary, falling to Boston College in Central New York would prove disastrous for Syracuse, especially after upending the Cavaliers and gaining a little mojo.
Overall in their series together, the Orange is 49-26 against the Eagles, including a 67-56 conquest inside the Carrier Dome on Feb. 9, 2019.
From a statistical perspective, the ‘Cuse boasts an edge over Boston College in virtually every category, save for steals, as the Eagles collect 9.1 thefts every 40 minutes, which is impressive. Undoubtedly, Syracuse will have to take care of the ball extremely well and not gift points via careless mistakes to a Boston College crew that struggles to score, only averaging 65.0 points per affair.
The Eagles, we should note, commit a whopping 14.5 turnovers a game, and the Orange needs to capitalize in this regard. Boston College, by extension, connects on a mere 30.0 percent from beyond the arc. The ‘Cuse 2-3 zone must stay active and alert while forcing the Eagles to hoist up challenging attempts from deep.
Beyond that, as always, the rebounding war is pivotal. Syracuse has a slight edge in this area, and I’d like to see the Orange put forth a complete effort on the glass. That is, the ‘Cuse has to crash the boards with aggression in both halves, not just one or the other, which is what usually transpires for Syracuse and did versus Virginia.
I firmly believe that the Orange can build upon its beating of the Cavaliers and possibly compile a nice winning streak in the near term. However, if the ‘Cuse gets complacent against Boston College, another home disappointment absolutely can occur.