Syracuse Basketball: Creating momentum is key for Orange vs Boston College

Syracuse basketball wraps up its 2019-20 regular season this week, beginning with a visit to Boston College. The Orange must close strong.

Following its home-finale setback to North Carolina, Syracuse basketball has a pair of road contests to conclude its 2019-20 regular stanza, commencing with a trip to Boston College.

The universal consensus is that the Orange (16-13, 9-9), currently in a five-way tie for fifth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, will have to capture the league tournament to receive an invite to March Madness.

That’s a tall task and a remote outcome, but the 2019-20 term for the ‘Cuse isn’t all lost.

Given that Syracuse has no seniors on its roster, and it’s certainly possible that the entire line-up will return for 2020-21, with the exception of redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes, the remainder of the present campaign provides an opportunity for Orange players to work on their game and inject some positivity into the team heading into next season.

A sweep of the Eagles (13-16, 7-11) and Miami, whom the ‘Cuse faces on Saturday afternoon, coupled with a solid journey in the ACC Tournament, would enable Syracuse to earn a bid to the NIT. There, the Orange could potentially pick up a few additional affairs against formidable foes, and that kind of experience for a relatively young crew is invaluable.

It’s proven a weird stanza for the ‘Cuse. Early on, Syracuse shot lights out from deep, something we all expected. Of late, the Orange is really struggling from beyond the arc, but its paint scoring has improved.

The ‘Cuse, more than anything else, must develop better consistency, both on the perimeter and in the interior. Rebounding is a recurring dilemma for Syracuse and should remain a key focal point in the near future and beyond.

For me, though, the biggest facet that the Orange has to concentrate on is the 2-3 zone. Opponents that possess skills from 3-point land and in the post are shredding the ‘Cuse defense.

Even if Hughes opts to forgo his last year of eligibility in favor of the NBA Draft, Syracuse should still have the ability to score in droves for foreseeable terms. But if the Orange can’t shore up its normally vaunted zone, the ‘Cuse will have a difficult time defeating quality groups.

Boston College, at No. 10 in the conference race and at No. 149 in the NCAA NET system, is not particularly stellar on either side of the court, which means that Syracuse will have an occasion to feast on the Eagles. Particularly since the Orange has actually performed at a superior level in ACC competition away from the Hill in 2019-20.

In the 10 primary statistical categories, the ‘Cuse gets the nod in eight of them. Syracuse has a 50-26 overall edge versus Boston College, and the Orange has claimed three in a row in their series together.

Individually speaking, I believe that the ‘Cuse has to hone in on fabulous freshman guard Jay Heath, who tallies 12.9 points every 40 minutes while hitting on a respectable 37.4 percent from downtown.

A Big Dance berth is likely out of the question for Syracuse, but the Orange can further construct its confidence for the long haul. And the benefits of that are immeasurable.