Why Boston College Wins (or Loses): Game 17, Syracuse Basketball

Boston College heads up to the Carrier Dome to play Syracuse basketball, the country’s number, er, unranked team.

How unusual is it for us to see Syracuse an unranked squad? It’s atypical, that’s for sure, but Boston College did not care that they were at the top of the hill the last time these two schools met. Despite the fact that they were having the most wretched season upon which any man or beast had ever laid eyes, the Eagles went up to Syracuse and ruined a perfect season.

In fact, one could even say that their loss to Boston College last February started a chain of events which ruined their overall season. If only they were so powerful.

The stakes are much lower this time, but you just know these two ACC schools want to pound the stuffing out of each other.

Game 17, Syracuse Basketball: Why We Win

Boston College beat a way better Syracuse team with an arguably worse one in maroon and gold then than there is now. Does that count for anything?

No, not really. What does count is that the Eagles are a better-coached team now with a few players who actually understand what this mystical notion of “defense” is. They play an opponent that, quite frankly, has not been very impressive. They just got blasted by Clemson and have otherwise struggled with most of the low-tier ACC teams.

Win though they did, Syracuse barely beat Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest. Those are teams on Boston College’s level, though the Eagles are pesky — at least for 30 minutes or so. Yet, they do have eight wins, so clearly they have finished some games.

Boston College wins because these teams seem to be more even that some would care to admit.

Game 17, Syracuse Basketball: Why We Won’t

Yet, in a lot of games, Boston College does not finish. The typical expectation is that they will not.

Syracuse is not a great team, but they are a good team, which is more than can be said for the Eagles, who are in the middle of a ground-up rebuild. It’s not easy fixing a program from “smoldering wreckage” stage.

Besides, for those who want to point to the Eagles’ ability to take it to this team based on one game last season, Boston College’s win over the Orange in 2014 at Syracuse was the flukiest fluke that ever fluked. That was a perfect storm sort of thing.

Boston College Eagles

Boston College loses because Syracuse is just a better team and the Eagles make like butter in a microwave at the end of games.

Syracuse Basketball vs. Boston College: Game #17 Info

Gametime
7:00pm Eastern

Venue
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York

The Line
Syracuse -8.5

Television
ESPNU (Tom Hart, Len Elmore)

Radio
WEEI 850AM (Online link)
(Jon Meterparel, Danya Abrams)