Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Syracuse punched a ticket to its ninth Championship Weekend in program history last Thursday, defeating James Madison 13-7. Despite its frequent appearances in the final four, Syracuse has never won the NCAA Championship.

On Friday, the Orange get a rematch against Boston College, who ended SU’s perfect regular season, defeating them 17-16. The Eagles went on to win the ACC Tournament, defeating UNC 11-9 after the Tar Heels eliminated SU.

Yet, BC still received the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, behind Northwestern and Syracuse. With a trip to the national championship on the line, the winner of this conference rematch will play either No. 1 Northwestern or undefeated No. 5 Denver. It would be the Orange’s second title game appearance in three seasons and fourth all-time.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Syracuse (18-2, 8-1 Atlantic Coast) versus Boston College (18-3, 8-1 ACC) in the NCAA Tournament semifinal:

All-time series:

Syracuse leads 18-9.

Last time they played

On April 20, Boston College spoiled Syracuse’s perfect season. Syracuse led 14-10 entering the final period, but the Eagles outscored SU 7-2, handing SU its first loss off of the season. Belle Smith led the way with seven points while Shea Dolce made 12 saves.

In the final 15 minutes, Syracuse couldn’t stop the BC attack from X. The Eagles were patient, waiting for cutters to pop open, swinging the ball around the zone as the offense moved continuously. They committed zero turnovers in the final period compared to Syracuse’s one.

“They really ran the same thing multiple times and we just had trouble making that adjustment,” Kayla Treanor said.

Boston College also won the ground ball battle 14-6, and took 10 free position shots to Syracuse’s four. Although they led for nearly 50 minutes of this game, the Orange fell by one.

Sierra Cockerille scored a season-high five points, while Meaghan Tyrrell broke SU’s all-time points record with an assist to her sister, Emma Tyrrell. But Treanor says this team is different from the one that BC beat a month ago.

“The players were really bummed and frustrated after that game,” Treanor said about the loss. “It just took us some time. We had to make some adjustments as coaches and do a couple different things that I think have really helped us in this NCAA Tournament.”

The Eagles report

Boston College is very similar to Syracuse, especially on offense, playing with a similar ferocity and identity.

“I think the common overlap is that they are very unselfish,” said BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein. “We are [both] fast-paced, effective and smart.”

SU leads the nation in assists and points per game, while BC ranks fifth and eighth, respectively. Both teams have quick, free-flowing offenses with Tewaaraton Award finalists – Jenn Medjid and Meaghan Tyrrell – leading the charge.

These commonalities are no coincidence. Treanor spent four seasons as an assistant at BC, including the championship run in 2021 when she helped defeat SU, 16-10.

Treanor acknowledged having insight on the coaches’ decision-making because of her time there. But also said she knows how good BC is at adjusting.

“I know they have really changed a lot in just some of the things that they do,” Treanor said. “And they are good coaches. They are unpredictable.”

How Syracuse beats Boston College

SU needs to win the fourth quarter. In this season’s matchup and the 2021 championship game, Boston College dominated the second half.

Boston College decimated Syracuse in many aspects of the game during the later stages. The only way Syracuse can win this game is by finishing strong and not playing sloppy.

Moving Tessa Queri back to defense full-time has helped the team’s production early in the tournament, Treanor said. But the entire Orange squad will need to be on-point and ready to shift gameplans against a proactive BC coaching staff.

To end BC’s run at six straight championship appearances, the Orange will have to anticipate second-half adjustments and lay off the shooting fouls.

Stat to know: 274

Boston College leads the ACC with 274 turnovers in 21 games. North Carolina, who was eliminated by Denver in the quarterfinals, had just 213 turnovers. Last time the teams played, BC coughed the ball up nine times in the first three quarters. But during the 7-2 fourth-quarter run, the Eagles didn’t turn the ball over once.

Winning the turnover battle, especially in the final period, is crucial for Syracuse.

Player to watch: Jenn Medjid

Tewaaraton Award finalist Jenn Medjid ranks fifth in the nation with 3.56 goals per game and 5.0 points per game. In the regular season finale, she scored three goals along with a clutch assist to tie the game at 16 with under three minutes remaining.

The Orange need to be ready for Medjid, but also have to be aware of other BC attackers who can hurt them.

Published on May 24, 2023 at 9:12 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu