Syracuse basketball looks to right the ship when it heads to Boston College this Saturday for an Atlantic Coast Conference contest in the early evening.
The Orange has lost three straight and four of its past five league encounters. Most recently, this past Monday night, the ‘Cuse had a legit shot to knock off No. 6 Virginia at the JMA Wireless Dome, but the Orange faltered late and wound up losing by five points, 67-62.
Syracuse basketball (13-10, 6-6 in the ACC) has prevailed in several close ACC affairs, however, more recently, the ‘Cuse hasn’t been able to close things out in tightly fought meetings with high-quality foes including the Cavaliers, North Carolina and Miami.
At this point in the 2022-23 season, Syracuse basketball is still searching for its first quadrant-one victory. It does have a few more chances coming up, although Boston College (11-12, 5-7) isn’t one of them.
While the Eagles are under .500 so far in 2022-23, they have won three of their past four games, including a home triumph over No. 20 Clemson earlier this week. Plus, Boston College sits just one contest behind the Orange in the current ACC standings.
Syracuse basketball isn’t even close to the conversation for an NCAA Tournament invite this spring. A road victory over the Eagles won’t move the needle much as far as the Orange’s resume, but a road win in the ACC is always a good thing.
Syracuse basketball at Boston College odds
On Saturday morning, actionnetwork.com had the Orange as a 2.5-point betting favorite over the Eagles on the road, with the over/under set at 138.5 points.
Syracuse basketball at Boston College prediction
In their all-time series together, the ‘Cuse holds a 56-26 edge over the Eagles. Most recently, on December 31 of last year on the Hill, Syracuse basketball defeated Boston College, 79-65, in a solid showing by the Orange.
To date in 2022-23, the Eagles don’t have an overly impressive resume (much like the ‘Cuse). Besides beating Clemson, Boston College owns victories over squads including Cornell, Rhode Island, George Mason and Virginia Tech, among others.
At the time of this writing, the Orange had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 100, whereas the Eagles resided at No. 178.
In looking at various statistical categories on the ESPN Web site, Syracuse basketball holds many advantages over Boston College, although the Eagles allow slightly fewer points per game than the ‘Cuse.
One point to note here is that Boston College shoots a really sub-par 29.4 percent from beyond the arc, so hopefully, the Orange can successfully contain the Eagles on the perimeter.
By the way, Boston College is 8-4 at home in 2022-23, while the ‘Cuse is 3-4 on the road, having defeated Notre Dame, Louisville and Georgia Tech away from Central New York.
The Eagles should have some nice momentum in this match-up after their recent win over Clemson. Syracuse basketball is struggling these days. I think that the Orange, though, will get somewhat back on track in this league clash. I’ll forecast the ‘Cuse to beat Boston College on the road.
Injuries, how to watch, live stream, next game
On the injury front, freshman big man Peter Carey is out for the rest of the 2022-23 term, Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has said. The 6-foot-11 Carey, a power forward/center, recently had a surgical procedure done on his right knee and is expected to take a medical redshirt this year, Boeheim has said.
We’ll certainly continue to monitor the injury front for the ‘Cuse in the present stanza.
The Orange and the Eagles will tip off beginning at 5 pm on Saturday, Feb. 4, from the Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The ACC Network will televise this conference collision.
For Syracuse basketball and Boston College fans who want to stream this game, you can check it out on fuboTV.
After the ‘Cuse plays at the Eagles, the Orange will hit the road again. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Syracuse basketball will make a trip to the Sunshine State to battle Florida State at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Fla. The tip-off is slated for 7 pm, with television coverage on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.