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Syracuse returns to the Carrier Dome on Saturday to face Boston College after a trip to NC State. It’s the Orange’s third-to-last home game, and as Atlantic Coast Conference play winds down, SU remains on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

SU (11-6, 5-5 ACC) has won seven of its last eight matchups against the Eagles (3-12, 1-8), including six of its last seven in the Carrier Dome, and it will likely face a short-handed BC roster due to COVID-19 protocols.

Here’s what to know about the Eagles before Saturday’s game:

All-time series

Syracuse leads, 52-26

Last time they played

The Orange exploded for 101 points in their first ACC game of the season, with Alan Griffin scoring 22 and Joe Girard III and Buddy Boeheim each scoring 17. The win reaffirmed Syracuse’s early-season reputation — one that has since disappeared — as a 3-point shooting team, perhaps one of the best in recent years. It made a program-record 16 shots from beyond the arc, led by six from Griffin and five from Girard, and took an 18-point lead into halftime.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has a 80% chance to win, with a projected score of 80-70.

The Eagles report

The Eagles have been hit hard by COVID-19 repercussions. In its most recent loss to NC State, BC played with six scholarship players. And before its previous game was postponed, it was on track to play Florida State with just four. All those absences have hurt the Eagles — one of the country’s worst defensive teams — even more.

The Eagles currently rank 314th in defensive effective field goal percentage (54.2) and 332nd in defensive 2P% (56.3), and they also struggle to win battles on the boards. In their first meeting, Syracuse outrebounded the Eagles 40-29, and they’ve been outrebounded in 11 of their games this season.

CJ Felder ranks 51st nationally, per KenPom, with an 8.1 block percentage in a limited sample size. Felder also sits 39th with a 67.9% 2PM-A%. James Karnik led BC with 20 points in the team’s first meeting against Syracuse but didn’t play against the Wolfpack on Feb. 6. But for the majority of games, Jay Heath (14.5 points per game) and Wynston Tabbs (13.3) have led the Eagles on offense.

How Syracuse beats Boston College

Even if the Orange struggle like they have in some games this season, this game is still very winnable. They won’t need to make 16 3s, but it’s still a good opportunity to build on Tuesday’s game — when SU had one of its better games from beyond the arc this year.

The Orange’s guards helped overtake the Eagles last time, both offensively and defensively. If that happens again, the game could turn into a blowout early.

Stats to know: 24.9 and 28.5

These offensive and defensive rebounding percentages, respectively, showcase an area where Syracuse could take advantage. Even without Bourama Sidibe, who likely won’t play again — he hasn’t practiced, and his knee was swollen, head coach Jim Boeheim said postgame on Tuesday — the Orange should be able to overtake the Eagles on the boards behind Marek Dolezaj, Quincy Guerrier and Griffin.

Player to watch: Jay Heath, guard, No. 5

During his sophomore season, Heath has continued his emergence as the Eagles’ go-to scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game on 40.8% shooting. With Boston College’s season at this stage, Heath is the one player who could take over the game and keep it close. He’s leading the Eagles in scoring for the second consecutive season, slightly increasing his points-per-game average from 13.1 in 2019-20.

Published on February 10, 2021 at 10:24 pm

Contact Andrew: [email protected] | @CraneAndrew