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Following Syracuse’s first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season earlier this week, it travels to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, to face Boston College. The Orange defeated Georgia Tech 62-55 on Tuesday, led by a 21-point effort from J.J. Starling in his second game back from a broken hand, which kept him out seven games. The victory helped SU avoid its first four-game ACC losing streak since 2022-23.

Syracuse will look to make it two straight against BC on Saturday. Like the Orange, the Eagles have been underwhelming in ACC play. BC lost two straight to SMU and Wake Forest before defeating Miami. However, it fell to Georgia Tech last Saturday.

Here’s how our beat writers feel Syracuse (7-8, 1-3 ACC) will fare against Boston College (9-6, 2-2 ACC):

Zak Wolf (13-2)
A winning streak?
Syracuse 78, Boston College 69

A Syracuse winning streak in this economy? You bet. The Orange haven’t won two straight games since the middle of November, when they barely beat Colgate and Youngstown State. That will change on Saturday. This isn’t because Syracuse is a good team, but due to Boston College being one of the worst Power Five teams in the country. The Eagles are ranked 188th in the country, according to KenPom. The next closest ACC team is Virginia Tech at 172.

Syracuse has been bad this season. Boston College has been worse. Last Saturday, BC suffered a 21-point blowout to Georgia Tech, which Syracuse defeated earlier this week. I’m not basing my entire pick on those isolated results but right now, Syracuse is in a better spot, especially with Starling back. SU’s leading scorer made numerous key plays in the second half to help defeat Georgia Tech. The ball will be in Starling’s hands as much as possible Saturday which will once again yield positive results for the Orange.

If Starling can have another efficient outing, Syracuse should win this comfortably. As much as SU struggles from 3-point range (28.9%), Boston College allows its opponents to shoot 36.3% from deep. That’s the 299th-best mark in the country, per KenPom. Don’t expect Syracuse to light it up from deep, but it should hit enough 3s to help it win a second straight ACC game.

Aiden Stepansky (14-1)
‘Going Back To Back’
Syracuse 71, Boston College 66

I likely won’t be able to use this tagline for the rest of the season. So, I might as well use it now. To quote my favorite rapper, Drake, the Orange are going back to back.

While SU still looks like a team that’ll soon be wrestling to earn a trip to Charlotte in March, this is a game they’ll capture. The Eagles have been horrid this season, outside of a win over current conference bottom-feeder Miami. Additionally, BC is coming off a 21-point loss to Georgia Tech. Quite frankly, after watching Syracuse and GT Tuesday, I’m not sure how a team allowed the Yellow Jackets to score 85 points.

As Zak noted, the ball in Starling’s hands equals success for SU, even if in a limited fashion. I enjoyed the jump Starling made from the FSU game to the matchup against GT and foresee him continuing to regain his footing. Donald Hand Jr. could be a handful (total pun intended) but when teams have slowed him, they’ve also stalled all of the Eagles. I see the Orange doing the same.

Soak it in. Maybe pop a bottle of champagne while you’re at it. Syracuse is about to win back-to-back games in the ACC this season.

Justin Girshon (12-3)
Don’t let them get hot
Syracuse 72, Boston College 71

Unlike its football game back in November, I don’t view Syracuse traveling to Chestnut Hill as a trap game. Instead, similar to SU’s bout against Georgia Tech on Tuesday, it’s just a gritty conference matchup between teams who aren’t that good.

And, it’s exactly what the Orange need right now. The one thing this team has done consistently since the end of November is lose. A two-game winning streak is exactly what it needs to simply have hope going forward. So long as Starling is in the lineup, SU has a chance against any ACC team outside of the conference’s powerhouses.

I see Saturday’s matchup staying within a couple possessions throughout the entire 40 minutes before Starling carries the Orange down the stretch for a narrow upset win. As Aiden mentioned, it’s a moment Syracuse will need to cherish. Its schedule significantly intensifies in the coming week, and it’ll need to take whatever magic a two-game winning streak gives it to not make Autry’s second year miserable.

Published on January 10, 2025 at 10:38 pm