Beat writers split on whether Syracuse will defeat Boston College

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Syracuse rebounded from a dreadful defensive showing against Virginia Tech by almost defeating its stronger in-state rival, Virginia. The Orange didn’t back down from Virginia, but they couldn’t escape empty trips to the free-throw line and inopportune turnovers late in the 67-62 loss.

But there’s still a chance for SU to bounce back, especially in its next two games. Syracuse heads to Boston College, who dropped four-straight games at the start of January, first. The Eagles are coming off their best win of the year, upsetting No. 20 Clemson 62-54.

Here’s what our beat writers expect to happen in Chestnut Hill on Saturday:

Anish Vasudevan (19-4)
Fly Eagles fly
Boston College 70, Syracuse 65

Both Connor and Anthony will tell you how this game is coming at the perfect time for Syracuse. That is true. But it’s also the perfect time for Boston College. The Eagles are coming off their strongest win of the year, an upset over No. 20 Clemson, and are currently in their strongest stretch of 2023.

Quinten Post wasn’t much of a factor the last time Syracuse faced BC since he was in his first game back after a foot injury kept him off the court for all of November and most of December. But Post has been playing his strongest basketball lately, scoring 29 points against Notre Dame earlier this month and will be a force in Syracuse’s zone against the foul-prone Jesse Edwards.

BC did a good job of shutting down Joe Girard III and Edwards for a portion of the last matchup between both sides, and following a strong defensive showing against the Tigers, it could do that again.

Connor Smith (20-3)
Time to bounce back
Syracuse 72, Boston College 65

Syracuse basketball has been in the news a lot this week and not because it’s been winning basketball games. Benny Williams took a “personal day” and didn’t show up to the JMA Wireless Dome for the game against No. 6 Virginia on Monday, creating further questions about his future with the team. Jim Boeheim then questioned a student reporter’s “attitude” when asked about it postgame, earning him a spot in the national news. And Jalen Hurts randomly showed up at the Dome for a Monday night Atlantic Coast Conference basketball game the day after clinching a Super Bowl bid.

It’s been an interesting few days, and Syracuse desperately needs a win after losing three in a row, and four of five, rendering the annual trip to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, a perfectly-timed one. Granted, Boston College did just upset the ACC’s top team — No. 20 Clemson, who had lost just one other conference game — but the Eagles are, again, not having a great season. SU beat them by 14 on New Year’s Eve, and BC can’t shoot the 3 like Virginia and Virginia Tech, ranking 344th nationally per KenPom.

After arguably their worst performance of the season against the Hokies last Saturday, the Orange played well against the sixth-ranked Cavaliers and had their chances to pull out a surprising upset win despite Girard struggling. If Girard can bounce back against the Eagles, and the offense still runs through Edwards during significant stretches, I expect Syracuse to pull out a narrow road win.

Anthony Alandt (16-7)
Feels good to win
Syracuse 79, Boston College 68

This game could not be coming at a better time for Syracuse. Not only are there questions surrounding Williams, but the Orange are on their worst skid of the season since the end of November. They can’t stop good shooters and have an even worse time closing out games. So what better time to travel to one of the worst teams in the conference that Syracuse has already beaten.

On Dec. 31, the Orange quickly jumped out to a lead in the second half against BC and erased a slow start, ultimately winning 79-65. The Eagles haven’t gotten much better since then, but are beating the teams they should and just notched their 11th win of the season with a surprise victory over Clemson. But they’re still the same team that struggles mightily from beyond the arc and is shooting below 50% on 2-pointers.

Syracuse is playing solid basketball right now — it just can’t seem to close out the best of the best in the ACC. So, if it continues playing well out of the gate and keeps their foot on the pedal throughout the second half, it should easily take care of Boston College. It really needs to stop committing so many turnovers, though, especially in key situations.