The Syracuse Orange will be at Silvio O. Conte Forum to square off against the Boston College Eagles in an Atlantic Coast matchup. The game gets underway at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 14 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Eagles are hoping to rebound after their 68-65 loss to North Carolina the last time they played. Eli Carter was the game’s high scorer with 26 points. The Orange are coming off an 85-72 win against Florida State in their last game. Michael Gbinije led the game in scoring by registering 22 points on 7-for-8 shooting.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Boston College ranks 266th in the nation in possessions per game (67.4 possessions per game), while Syracuse is 338th (65.1).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Orange winning the first matchup 62-40. Gbinije had a stellar game with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, four steals, and one three-pointer.
The Eagles have gone 7-17 Straight Up (SU) and 6-12-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Eagles have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 71.4 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 61.7 points per game.
Across the court, the Orange head into the game with records of 12-12 ATS and 17-8 SU. Offensively, the Orange have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 70.9 points per game after averaging only 54.0 during that stretch. The Orange rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking 38th in the nation with 219 made (8.0 per game). The Syracuse defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 24th in Division I with only 64.5 points allowed per game. The Orange have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .404. They average 8.1 steals per game, good for 24th in the nation.
Syracuse won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 6-4. On the other hand, with a 6-4 record, Boston College has the advantage ATS. In these last five matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once.
Predictions: SU Winner – Syr, ATS Winner – Syr
Notes
Boston College scores an average of just 61.7 points per game (ranked 252nd). Syracuse ranks 24th in points allowed, giving up 64.5 points per game.
Syracuse scores just 67.8 points per away game (ranked 166th). Boston College ranks 89th in points allowed at home, giving up 66.0 points.
Boston College averages 67.4 possessions per game, scoring .915 points on each possession. While Syracuse averages fewer possessions per game with 65.1, they score more points per possession with 1.090.
The Boston College Eagles average an effective field goal percentage of 47.7% this season. The Syracuse Orange have a poor record of 3-5 when opponents have an eFG% of 47.7% or greater.
The Boston College Eagles average 22.0 three point attempts per game and have a subpar 4-10 record when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Syracuse Orange average 24.0 attempts and have a solid 13-7 record when attempting 20 or more.
The Syracuse Orange rank 49th in offensive rebounds. The Boston College Eagles rank 258th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, Boston College forces a turnover rate of 19.5%. When Syracuse turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a superb 9-1 record.
