Opponent Preview: What to know about Boston College ahead of SU’s final game of 2022

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Syracuse hadn’t lost in December until Pittsburgh defeated it more than a week ago. The Orange scored 10 points in the final two minutes but Judah Mintz came out empty on the final possession of the game, leading to an 84-82 Panthers win and the end of a five-game winning streak for SU.

The Orange remain at home for one more game, facing Boston College 10 hours before the New Year. With the non-conference slate now over, SU is looking to go over .500 in Atlantic Coast Conference play this season. The Eagles enter the matchup in search of the same goal.  

Here’s everything to know about Boston College (7-6, 1-1 ACC) before the matchup: 

All-time series

Syracuse leads 55-26. 

Last time they played

After a nine-point win over Boston College, Syracuse faced the Eagles again two weeks later, winning 76-56. Four SU players finished with double-digits in scoring, led by Buddy Boeheim and Cole Swider, who both finished with 18. Due to Jesse Edwards’ season-ending injury, Bourama Sidibe played a season-high 18 minutes behind Frank Anselem. Sidibe recorded four rebounds, two blocks, two steals and two points. 

The Orange’s main success came in transition, jumping out to 9-0 and 13-0 runs in the first half. Just like this season, the Eagles were last in the conference in 3-point percentage, which showed in the first half. BC entered the game shooting 28%, finishing 1-for-14 in the opening period. Boston College improved to 28.6% but SU had already built a sufficient lead to earn the win. 

“We don’t get those steals, usually,” head coach Jim Boeheim said. “We’re gambling a little bit, but we made some good plays defensively in the first half and got some points off of them.”

The win was SU’s fifth in six games, one which it extended in the next matchup with an overtime victory over Georgia Tech. But the Orange only won once for the rest of the year, when it beat Florida State in the opening round of the ACC Tournament, dropping five games. 

The Eagles report

The Eagles were one of sex teams to finish below the Orange in the final ACC rankings last season, only winning six conference games. Boston College has basically launched into the same start this season — BC was 6-7 at this point last year — but have some momentum after upsetting then-No. 21 Virginia Tech.  

Boston College is similar to Syracuse with a freshman guard, Prince Aligbe, having the highest usage rate on the team (29.6% of possessions used, according to KenPom). But the Eagles’ scoring mostly comes from their experience, also like SU, with senior Makai Ashton-Langford at the helm of the offense. Ashton-Langford averages 11.5 points per game this year, followed closely by Jaeden Zackery, who’s scoring 10.9 per game. 

Luckily for Syracuse, who has been forced to give up the deep ball in the zone against good 3-point teams at times this year, the Eagles shoot at one of the worst clips from beyond the arc nationally this year. Defensively, Boston College is sixth-best in the ACC, allowing 68.1 points per game. But BC gave up 78.5 points per game in a four-game losing streak which ended almost two weeks ago.

How Syracuse beats Boston College

Boeheim knows that teams are going to attack Joe Girard III and Edwards defensively in every game. Mintz has been a reliable third option, recording 24 points against Pittsburgh, but someone else needs to step up. Benny Williams and Chris Bell combined for seven against the Panthers, which wasn’t enough, Boeheim said postgame. 

“When they take Joe out, and really make it hard for Jesse — which people are gonna do — then we’ve gotta get some other options there,” Boeheim said.

Syracuse simply needs Williams and Bell, or other options like Justin Taylor, to step up. Boston College is not a good offensive team so SU just needs to get off to a strong start, something which has been rare throughout the entire year.  

Stat to know: 26.6%

With the tendency for teams in college basketball to simply chuck up as many shots as possible from deep, Syracuse has had to make some changes to its zone, moving the wings higher up than a typical Boeheim zone from 10 to 20 years ago. Still, opposing offenses have found openings at the corners and wings against this year’s squad, honing in on Williams and Bell’s inability to close out in time on 3-pointers.

But SU has mostly been outmatched against its opponents from long range. This won’t be the case against BC, who ranks 352nd nationally from 3-point range at a rate of 26.6%. The Eagles do have the second-least number of attempts in the ACC from beyond the arc but this is something which should play in SU’s benefit on New Year’s Eve. 

Player to watch: Makai Ashton-Langford, forward, No. 11

Through all its offensive woes, Ashton-Langford has been a consistent option for BC. Ashton-Langford is currently scoring less than his average last year and he’s shooting 19.4% from deep, down roughly 10% from 2021-22. But he saved his best performance this year for Boston College’s upset over the Hokies, scoring 21 points while shooting 53.3% from the field. He could get hot again versus SU if he finds holes from midrange or right under the basket.