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At Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 2, Syracuse trailed then-No. 14 Duke 35-33 at halftime. It held the Blue Devils to an 0-for-9 performance from 3 and sustained an 18-point outburst from Mark Mitchell.

But in the second half, the Orange fell apart. SU committed 17 turnovers and conceded a season-worst 26 points off of turnovers. Duke caught fire from the perimeter and canned eight 3’s on perfect shooting. Mitchell finished with a career-best 21 points as five Blue Devils notched totals in the double-digits. And, despite a career-high 26 from forward Maliq Brown, Syracuse slumped to an 86-66 defeat.

Following an eight-day break, SU returns to action at the JMA Wireless Dome to take on Boston College. The Eagles enter off of a 95-87 away win over Georgia Tech.

Here’s what our beat writers predict will happen when the Orange (10-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) host BC (10-4, 1-2 ACC) on Wednesday:

Cole Bambini (13-1)
BC bounce-back
Syracuse 76, Boston College 68

An eight-day break came at the right time for the Orange following their tough 20-point defeat at Duke. It now welcomes Boston College, which has lost to Syracuse 10 consecutive times, and SU can get another conference win before it faces No. 7 UNC on Saturday.

In two games against the Eagles last season, Judah Mintz combined for 33 points and 12 assists, and with more of a scoring role this year, he’ll need to lead the charge offensively. Syracuse, though recently getting strong outings from bench players like Brown, has to get more out of Justin Taylor and Chris Bell to ensure the win.

Boston College comes in with momentum following a win over Georgia Tech, and I expect them to rely on their 7-foot center Quinten Post, who has scored in double-digits every game this season. This game is a must-win for Syracuse. I don’t think it’ll be as easy as in the past, but a bounce-back victory over BC will put the Orange in a better position before a top-10 opponent a few days later.

Henry O’Brien (13-1)
Predictable
Syracuse 82, Boston College 71

At least against teams ranked inside KenPom’s Top 60, Syracuse has been about as predictable as a fringe bubble team can get, holding a record of 1-4 with a lone win coming at home against Pittsburgh. For the most part so far, the Orange can say they beat the teams they are supposed to beat and lose to the teams they are supposed to lose to.

With Boston College coming to the Dome, I don’t think SU fans have to fret too much as the Orange have beaten the Eagles 10 straight times. I expect the Orange to make it 11 on Wednesday. Mintz will have no trouble scoring against BC after scoring 18 points against Duke. If Brown and Quadir Copeland can keep providing a spark, then Syracuse should cruise against one of the ACC’s weaker defenses.

The Orange may have trouble against Post, Boston College’s best scorer by a mile. Post may dominate down low against Naheem McLeod. But if SU can draw double teams and limit damage on the offensive boards, then this could be a blowout.

Tyler Schiff (12-2)
Back on track
Syracuse 75, Boston College 72

SU’s 86-66 defeat at Duke abruptly halted a five-game win streak and ever-increasing hopes that the Orange could contend with the ACC’s best. But there’s still time. 17 league games remain and a pivotal bounce-back victory can be achieved at home against Boston College.

The Eagles are led by Post and Charleston Southern transfer Claudell Harris. The two average a combined 33 points per game and have impressed for BC this season despite the loss of star guard Makai Ashton-Langford.

But despite wins over St. Johns and Vanderbilt through the 2023-24 campaign, convincing losses to NC State and Wake Forest have cemented that Boston College continues to be a middling ACC team — one that Syracuse can comfortably handle. The Eagles’ backcourt cannot contend with SU’s, and if the Orange can find a way to slow down Post, BC’s offense will likely crumble. I still think this will be a competitive matchup, but not one where Syracuse will ever look out of sorts.

Published on January 9, 2024 at 11:26 pm