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Syracuse was down by as many as 20 points against Pittsburgh before it stormed back in the second half and lost by two points to the Panthers. After the loss, head coach Jim Boeheim admitted that he’s tried everything he knows about coaching on his forwards — Benny Williams and Chris Bell — to get them to play harder, especially inside the paint. He’s also said that physical teams and those who shoot well against the top of the 2-3 zone fair well against the Orange.

Now, they’ll take on Boston College (7-6, 1-1 Atlantic Coast), one of the worst teams in the conference who suffered puzzling losses to three Group of 5 schools during nonconference play. It enters the game as the 352nd-ranked 3-point shooting team that can sometimes battle through low-scoring, close games.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen when Syracuse takes on Boston College.

Anish Vasudevan (10-3)
Broken wings
Syracuse 74, Boston College 65

Finally, Syracuse is matched up against an awful team from deep. The crux of Syracuse’s defense, which has allowed countless nonconference opponents to stay close against SU, will be nonexistent against Boston College. The Eagles 26.6% clip from beyond the arc is 351st nationally. They struggled from deep last year too, leading to two comfortable wins for Syracuse.

But Boston College only averages around five attempts from long range per game, which should increase against SU’s zone due to the holes that still haven’t been plugged. The Orange just need to score early. They’ve only won games if they’ve led or been tied against opponents at halftime, never able to complete a second-half comeback.

This should be an easy win for Syracuse if it executes. Jim Boeheim has prefaced that options other than Joe Girard III, Jesse Edwards and Judah Mintz need to emerge at this point in the year and Boston College will be another test for those other guys on Syracuse’s team. This is a chance for them to showcase how this year’s team could have some depth and not just rely on its trio of stars.

Connor Smith (11-2)
Back to form
Syracuse 71, Boston College 60

Syracuse has beaten the Eagles in eight straight matchups and that streak should extend to nine on Saturday afternoon. Both teams are coming off lengthy layoffs that lasted over a week, so it’ll be interesting to see who’s ready for this at tipoff time. Boston College is a solid defensive team, but has struggled to score at times this season, ranking 323rd nationally in effective field-goal percentage, per KenPom. The Eagles haven’t scored more than 67 points against a power conference opponent this season.

The Orange have been playing well since the calendar turned to December and have won five of their last six games. The defense has been steadily improving — though took a step back by allowing 84 points and a barrage of 3-pointers against Pitt — and Mintz, Girard and others have begun solidifying their roles. These next two games against Boston College and Louisville are crucial, almost must-win, games for SU, which won’t face any opponents ranked lower the rest of the season.

Anthony Alandt (9-4)
End the year right
Syracuse 68, Boston College 60

Up and down doesn’t even begin to describe the calendar year that Syracuse has had. This year, a new crop of freshmen has tried its hand at nonconference play, a midseason classic and the start of ACC games. To close out the year, the Orange take on Boston College, a middling team that just barely beat Virginia Tech and has lost to Maine, New Hampshire and Tarleton State. SU needs a win in this one, not just to notch a second conference victory, but to demonstrate that it can handle the teams ranked below it.

The Eagles are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country and are a lower-tier shooting team from inside the arc. That bodes well for an Orange team that has struggled mightily against the deep ball and has let early runs by opponents hinder chances late in the game. Finally, a team that doesn’t shoot well and that defends only slightly better takes on Syracuse, who is looking for a quick way to right the ship before heading to Louisville and taking on one of the worst teams in the country.

Published on December 31, 2022 at 12:25 pm