Earlier this week, Syracuse fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time this season. The Orange (5-3) will look to get its sixth victory of the season on Saturday at noon, when Boston University (4-5) matches up with SU in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse has lost three of its last four, most recently a last-second loss to Connecticut on Monday. The Terriers lost to Canisius, 87-77, on Wednesday night, dropping below .500.

Here’s how our beat writers forecast Saturday’s contest will unfold.

Connor’s Grossman (5-3)
Long road home
Syracuse 76, Boston University 60

It’s hard to know what to expect at this point from Syracuse. I don’t believe there’s a lot of panic in that locker room, rather a boatload of disappointment. SU has a chance to extract that against the Terriers, and really against the rest of its nonconference schedule. If the Orange is going to stitch its season back together, it’s going to start Saturday against Boston University.

Matt Schneidman (6-2)
Walk in the park
Syracuse 74, Boston University 56

The Orange desperately needs an opponent like Boston U to waltz into the Carrier Dome right about now. Yes, the Terriers lost to UConn by only two a week ago just like SU did on Monday, but Syracuse needs this one against an inferior opponent. Badly. Expect the offense to gel far more than it did at Madison Square Garden and for Tyler Lydon to return to the player we all expected him to be. The Orange takes these Terriers for a walk in the park on Saturday.

Paul Schwedelson (6-2)
Boston 3 party
Syracuse 68, Boston University 55

Don’t take the Terriers lightly. They lost by two points to UConn (the same margin SU lost to the Huskies by) and by four points to North Carolina State. Their offense runs through Eric Fanning, who ends 30.8 percent of BU’s possessions and takes 26.9 percent of the Terriers’ shots while on the court, per Kenpom. But this game is about Syracuse getting back on track. A more well-rounded offensive showing should be on display against an inferior opponent. A win means SU can start moving past its recent slide, gearing up for finals week and start thinking about Georgetown on Dec. 17.

Published on December 9, 2016 at 8:53 pm