Opponent Preview: What to know ahead of Boston College
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Syracuse’s five-game winning streak came to an abrupt end at Cameron Indoor Stadium with an 86-66 defeat to then-No. 14 Duke. After suffering their second Atlantic Coast Conference loss, the Orange now return home for the first game in 2024 at the JMA Wireless Dome to take on Boston College.
The Eagles, in their third season under head coach Earl Grant, have the same current record as SU (10-4) and the same projected record, according to KenPom (18-13). But the Orange are still favored and led by players like Judah Mintz and Maliq Brown — the latter of whom scored a career-high 26 points versus Duke.
Here’s everything you need to know about Boston College (10-4, 1-2 ACC) before it takes on Syracuse (10-4, 1-2 ACC):
All-time series
Syracuse leads 57-26.
Last time they played
On Feb. 4, 2023, SU bested BC 77-68 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Former Syracuse center Jesse Edwards, who’s currently with West Virginia, dominated the Eagles. He scored a career-high 27 points and nabbed seven boards to lead the Orange to a victory.
Although SU only made four 3-pointers on 14 attempts, it shot 51% from the field and held BC’s Quinten Post to 18 points.
KenPom odds
Syracuse has a 62% chance of winning, with a projected score of 80-76.
The Eagles report
Last year, Grant led the Eagles to nine conference wins, the most for the program since the 2010-11 season. And so far through in 2023-24, BC has shown rapid improvement. Through 14 games in 2022-23, Boston College only had seven wins, improving by three wins over the same span this season.
The Eagles have been boosted by Post’s strong play and the help of Claudell Harris Jr. — a Big South transfer. The guard has become an impressive second scorer for Boston College, averaging 15.5 points per game. With Harris and Post, BC is averaging 80.4 points per game, 14 more than last season when it was the second-worst offense in the ACC.
In a win over Georgia Tech on Jan. 6, Boston College scored a season-high 95 points, led by Harris Jr. (26) and Devin McGlockton (30).
How Syracuse beats Boston College
No one on Syracuse’s roster has seen a Boston College offense this good. The trio of Post, Harris and McGlockton will give the Orange defense headaches, especially from beyond the arc. The Eagles shoot 36.8% from 3, which ranks as the 48th-best mark in the country. SU will have to lockdown the 3-point line and can’t let Post work from down low.
Similarly, Syracuse’s offense, particularly Justin Taylor and Chris Bell, will need to provide a spark if it hopes to keep up. The duo combined for just three points against Duke and barely shot from behind the 3-point line.
Stat to know: 77.4%
Opponent free-throw percentage may not be a clear indicator of skill for a defense. But Boston College has allowed a 77.4% free-throw percentage, which is bottom 10 in the nation. It will be interesting to see if Syracuse can take advantage of this, especially since it owns one of the better free-throw rates in the conference, converting at a 73.9% clip.
Player to watch: Quinten Post, center, No. 12
Without a doubt, Post is the main source of Boston College’s offense. Through all 14 games this season, Post has scored at least 10 points, with a season-high coming in BC’s opening game against Fairfield (31). The Mississippi State transfer was named the 2022-23 ACC Most Improved Player and led the Eagles in scoring last season.
Post is also the team leader in rebounds with 109, which ranks sixth in the conference. Post has also seen a leap in his blocking rate, tallying a mark of 7%, which ranks 89th overall in all of Division I.
So far in three ACC games, Post is averaging 18.1 points per game with a 20-point performance during a home loss to Wake Forest.
