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After losing starting center Jesse Edwards for the season against the Eagles less than two weeks ago, Syracuse fell to Virginia Tech on the road. Now, the Orange will begin the first of three games in five days when they host Boston College in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Eagles before they rematch SU at noon in the Carrier Dome: 

All-time series

Syracuse leads 54-26.

Last time they played

Less than two weeks ago, Syracuse extended its win streak to four games with a 73-64 victory over Boston College. The game started out with sloppy shooting from both teams, who went a combined 7-of-29 from the field in the opening nine minutes. Syracuse eventually snapped out of it, building a 10-point lead going into halftime while the Eagles continued to struggle.

Fueled by a season-high 21 points from Cole Swider, who played all 40 minutes, Syracuse took control and held off a late BC comeback to secure the nine-point victory. Edwards had his only zero-point performance of the season and fouled out. He injured his left wrist late in the contest in what was later announced to be a season-ending injury.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has an 80% chance of victory with a projected score of 78-68. 

The Boston College report

At 9-15 overall and 4-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Eagles are among the conference’s worst teams in mid-February. They have managed a few unexpected victories, including a 16-point win over Notre Dame in December. But BC has won just one of its last seven contests (over Pittsburgh). 

The Eagles have the 155th-best offense in the country, and the 163rd-best defense, both of which are near the bottom of the ACC. They aren’t particularly good at free-throw shooting, or 2-point shooting. They’re near the bottom when it comes to 3-point shooting as well.

One asset where the Eagles are stronger, however, is on the glass. They rank 105th in the country for offensive rebounding, led by T.J. Bickerstaff, Quinten Post, James Karnik and DeMarr Langford, and 55th in the nation for defensive rebounding. Bickerstaff, Post and Karnik all average five or more rebounds per game.

How Syracuse beats the Eagles

Boston College doesn’t have a good 3-point defense, and Syracuse is one of the best in the nation when it comes to shooting the basketball from deep. The Orange need to get hot from deep, which they’re more than capable of with Joe Girard III, Buddy Boeheim and Swider. 

The Eagles found success two weeks ago in the paint, where they notched 40 points. With Edwards’ foul trouble in addition to a slow night offensively for him, Frank Anselem played a then-career high 23 minutes. Anselem had trouble in the paint against BC’s bigs, particularly Post. The Eagles snagged 14 offensive boards, seven of which came from Post, but were only able to convert that into seven second-chance points. Syracuse will need to play better defense in the paint; given that Anselem has already seen the Eagles very recently, that may be beneficial for him. 

Ultimately, none of it mattered because SU knocked down its shots and BC didn’t, so if the Orange can replicate that solid shooting, like they have recently, they should be able to take care of business.

Stat to know: 332nd and 324th

Boston College is among the worst in the nation when it comes to 3-pointers. They rank 324th in 3-point shooting percentage (30.0%) and 325th in 3-point defense (36.8%), per KenPom. The Orange, on the other hand, have frequently had trouble defending the 3-point line this season, though head coach Jim Boeheim did highlight their last performance against Virginia Tech as a strong 3-point defensive outing. Boston College shouldn’t pose a threat from beyond the arc, considering that it shot 6-of-28 in the teams’ first meeting. It shouldn’t pose a threat defending Syracuse’s 3-pointers either, considering that SU was 11-of-24. This game could be largely determined by both teams’ performances shooting — and defending — beyond the arc. 

Player to watch: Quinten Post, No. 12, forward

Post snagged a career-high 14 rebounds against Syracuse and was a dominant force in the paint during the teams’ first meeting on Feb. 8. Post exploited Edwards’ absence during most of the first meeting, going to work inside and shooting 7-of-13 from the field. SU will need to limit his production inside during this second matchup, and it’ll turn to Anselem to get the job done.

Published on February 16, 2022 at 9:59 pm

Contact Roshan: rferna04@syr.edu | @Roshan_f16