The Eagles travel to upstate New York this weekend, where they’ll look to split the season series with the Orange after losing by 8 in the first matchup.
Who: Boston College Eagles (10-12, 2-9 ACC) vs. Syracuse Orange (10-13, 4-8 ACC)
Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY
When: Saturday, February 8th, 2025
Tip-off Time: 3:15 pm E.T.
How to Watch: This game will be broadcast on the CW Network
The Eagles come into this one after a home blowout to the Louisville Cardinals, but the trip to New York signals the start of a 5-game stretch of winnable ACC games. All of Syracuse, Notre Dame, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech are under .500 at the time of writing, and if BC wants to make the ACC Tournament this year (reminder: the bottom 3 teams in the league will not), they likely need to pick up some conference wins in this stretch. Now, BC has already lost to three of these teams. Earl Grant’s teams generally improve over the course of the year — this stretch can also serve as a barometer for the Eagles’ growth or lack thereof.
Let’s take a closer look at the Orange, who have gone 1-4 over their last 5. Most recently they suffered a blowout to Duke, and will be looking to rebound from the loss. Last time the Eagles and the Orange met, guard J.J. Starling had his way with the BC defense and went off for 26, 5 and 3. Who draws the Starling matchup will have his hands full, but he consistently leads the charge for the Orange. Containing him needs to be a priority for the Eagles. In addition, Syracuse’s bigs, Eddie Lampkin and Jyare Davis, combined for 22 points and 21 boards. A key factor here will be the Eagles’ health: if Venning isn’t able to go, BC will be severely undersized against a team that wants to pound the rock down low. Conversely, I want to see more Fred Payne minutes here. He only got 3 (somehow) last time out, but his shooting will really open up the court for the Eagles offensively. If the Eagles are forced to play small, they’ll need to shoot the ball efficiently and consistently space the floor to attack Syracuse’s bigs.