On Wednesday night, the Boston College Eagles men’s basketball team faces their closest ACC rival (in terms of proximity) when they travel down the pike to face the Syracuse Orange in the Carrier Dome.
Who: Syracuse Orange (10-4) vs. Boston College Eagles (10-4)
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
When: Wednesday January 10th
Tip-Off Time: 9pm ET
How to Watch: Wednesday’s game will be broadcasted live on the ACC Network
How to Follow: Follow the game on X (Twitter) by checking in with our live coverage at @bcinterruption
Syracuse saw their GOAT head coach Jim Boeheim retire in the spring of 2023, so its been first-year head coach Adrian Autry at the helm for the Orange this season. He has Syracuse off to a nice 10-4 start with wins over Oregon, Georgetown, and others already in the bag. But Cuse hasn’t fared well against their tougher competition so far, falling to #7 Tennessee, #11 Gonzaga, #14 Duke, and unranked Virginia by at least 17 points in each game. They failed to reach 60 points in two of those games and failed to reach 70 points in all four of them, clearly struggling to find much of an offensive rhythm.
Syracuse does at least have a very impressive spark plug on offense: sophomore guard Judah Mintz. He’s able to do about everything the Orange ask of him from playmaking to scoring in transition to spot-up shooting. The offense runs through him and is at its best when he’s on the floor thanks to his ability to drive to the basket and either score or get his teammates open. He’ll certainly be a focus for Boston College’s defense, who can sometimes struggle to defend smaller guards with speed. Outside of Mintz, though, it’s not looking great. Fellow sophomore JJ Starling rounds out a solid backcourt for SU, but their frontcourt leaves some to be desired. Sophomore starting center Naheem McLeod is 7’4” but doesn’t bring much to the Orange outside of his paint defense and shot-blocking ability, while promising sophomore forward Chris Bell is still figuring out his role.
That sure is a lot of sophomores!
BC basketball meanwhile is coming fresh off of a comeback win down in Atlanta against Georgia Tech. Devin McGlockton had a wild 30-point game and, alongside Claudell Harris, the Eagles clutched out a big win. If McGlockton can repeat a performance like that against a weak Syracuse frontcourt, or if Quinten Post starts doing his thing, the Orange could be in trouble.
Prediction: Boston College 78 Syracuse 75