Syracuse basketball will welcome long-time foe Boston College to the Hill on Saturday afternoon, as the programs wrap up their two-game set during the 2024-25 regular season.
Neither the Orange nor the Eagles is faring particularly well of late. The 'Cuse got crushed, at home, by No. 2 Duke earlier this week. Syracuse basketball has dropped four of its past five Atlantic Coast Conference affairs.
Boston College, meanwhile, got trounced on its turf by Louisville this past Wednesday night. The Eagles, over their last eight encounters, are just 1-7, and many of those setbacks have come by wide margins.
As it currently stands, both the Orange and Boston College are hovering toward the bottom of the ACC standings.
How to watch Syracuse basketball host Boston College on Saturday.
The 'Cuse (10-13, 4-8 in the ACC) and the Eagles (10-12, 2-9 in the ACC) will go toe to toe at the JMA Wireless Dome beginning at 3:15 pm this Saturday, Feb. 8, with this ACC clash airing on The CW Network and live-streaming coverage also available on FuboTV.
When I wrote this article, Syracuse basketball had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 145, as compared to No. 218 for Boston College, making this a quadrant-four game for the Orange.
Per SU Athletics, the 'Cuse is 59-27 in its all-time series with the Eagles. Last month, Boston College held an eight-point edge relatively deep into the second half, but Syracuse basketball stormed back for a 79-71 triumph, the Orange's first road victory of 2024-25.
So far this term, the Eagles have beaten The Citadel, Temple, Loyola Maryland, Old Dominion, Missouri State, Boise State, Stonehill, Fairleigh Dickinson, Miami and Florida State. On the flip side, Boston College has fallen to VCU, Dartmouth, South Carolina, Wake Forest, SMU, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Louisville.
Boston College scores 70.5 points per game and allows 75.7 points, along with 34.4 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 3.9 blocks, 4.9 steals and 11.9 turnovers. Syracuse basketball scores 73.3 points per contest and gives up 77.3 points, along with 37.6 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 2.7 blocks, 4.6 steals and 12.6 turnovers.
Shooting-wise, neither squad is overly impressive by and large, although the Eagles do make 35.9 percent from beyond the arc, as compared to just 31.6 percent for the Orange. In the 'Cuse setback to Duke earlier this week, Syracuse basketball went a mere 6-of-23 from deep, or 26 percent.