Syracuse (17-8, 7-5 Atlantic Coast) visits Boston College (7-17, 0-11) on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Orange went 4-0 on its last four games and has turned its season around after starting conference play 0-4. The last time SU and the Eagles played, Syracuse won 62-40 about a month ago.

Here’s how beat writers Sam Blum, Jesse Dougherty and Matt Schneidman predict the game:

Sam Blum (17-8)
Syracuse 83, Boston College 58
Lazy Sunday

Boston College has lost its conference games by an average of 19.7 points. Only one of those losses was by fewer than 10 points. Syracuse, playing its best basketball of the past two seasons, should be able to steamroll past the Eagles, the same team it started its improbable run against. Boston College features little more than graduate transfer Eli Carter, so unless he goes off for 35 points, the Eagles will not soar to their first win of the calendar year.

Jesse Dougherty (17-8)
Syracuse 74, Boston College 60
Public Forum

It’s not a win that does all that much for Syracuse’s brewing tournament resume, but beating Boston College at Conte Forum to improve to 8-2 in the last 10 games has to count for something, right? The Eagles are 0-11 in ACC play which, in layman’s terms, means they flat-out stink. But they did push North Carolina to the brink of a shocking upset at home on Tuesday, so SU can’t play around too much. Control Carter and you control the Eagles, and that should be a manageable task for an SU zone that has only gotten stingier as conference play rolls along.

Matt Schneidman (17-8)
Syracuse 68, Boston College 52
Shipping up to Boston

Last time these two teams played Syracuse allowed the fewest points it has surrendered all season. That same Syracuse team is on a defensive tear right now and the Eagles, winless in conference play, have no chance to break SU’s stride. This is the kind of game that won’t mean much if Syracuse wins but it’s one the Orange can’t lose. It won’t be an offensive exposé like SU had against Florida State, but it’s more than enough to get the job done for a fifth straight win.

Published on February 13, 2016 at 12:22 pm