Everything to know about Syracuse men’s basketball’s battle at Boston College
Boston College is one of three winless schools in ACC play. Syracuse convincingly took care of the other two in its last two wins. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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The lone program standing in Syracuse’s way of a four-game winning streak is Boston College: KenPom’s lowest-rated team among Atlantic Coast Conference schools.
After the Orange emerged victorious in their third straight game, defeating Florida State 94-86 Tuesday, Adrian Autry’s squad treks east to face the Eagles, who’ve lost four in a row. It’s a matchup of two programs that have dipped into irrelevancy in the 2020s, but only one is trending upward thus far in 2025-26 — and that’s SU.
Here’s everything to know about Syracuse’s (12-5, 3-1 ACC) conference bout against Boston College (7-10, 0-4 ACC) Saturday in Chestnut Hill:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 60-27.
Last time they played …
The Orange defeated the Eagles 95-86 on Feb. 8, 2025, in a triple-overtime thriller. It was SU’s second of two straight wins over BC last season. The rematch of Syracuse’s Jan. 11 win over Boston College was a wild affair. But J.J. Starling’s 28-point effort and the Orange’s dominant third overtime period — where they outscored the Eagles 10-1 — was enough to salvage a victory at the Dome and sweep BC for the 2024-25 campaign.
Boston College guard Donald Hand Jr., who the Orange will face again Saturday, dropped 28 points on 5-for-14 3-point shooting.
KenPom odds
Syracuse has a 69% chance of winning, with a projected score of 70-65.
The Eagles report
In the ACC’s annual preseason poll, Boston College was projected to finish in last place this year. Thus far, the Eagles have not proven the expectations wrong, wearing an 0-4 record to begin ACC play.
BC is regarded as one of the worst Power Four teams for many reasons, but most of them are concerning the offense. Its effective field goal percentage (46.3%) ranks 41st-worst in the country, per KenPom. BC’s 29.3% 3-point conversion rate is among the bottom 35 teams in Division I. Nearly 12 of its shots per game get blocked, one of the highest totals in D-I. And it shoots 66.1% from the free-throw line.
Hand (14.4 points per game) and fellow guard Fred Payne (14.1 points per game) are two of the few bright spots for the Eagles on offense.
However, Boston College boasts the 65th-best adjusted defensive efficiency (102.4) in college hoops, according to KenPom. Opponents don’t shoot very well against BC, averaging a 46.5% field-goal rate per game (31st-lowest versus any opponent in the country).
Its top forwards, Jayden Hastings and Aidan Shaw, anchor the defense. Hastings has rejected 28 shots this season and, per EvanMiya, has a defensive performance rating of 2.92, a well-above-average figure. Shaw has 25 blocks and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game.
How Syracuse beats Boston College
If SU can keep delivering 80-plus points a game, which it did in its last three contests, it should have no trouble handling a BC team that struggles to put the ball through the basket. The Orange pride themselves on defense and have been among the nation’s most-imposing teams on that side of the ball — led by William Kyle III and Donnie Freeman’s frontcourt presence.
This should be a get-back game of sorts for Syracuse’s defense after allowing Pitt guard Brandin Cummings to pour on 29 points last week and Florida State to score 86. Defense should win the day for the Orange against a team without efficient shooting.
Hand’s shot-creation ability is the only concern. But if Starling — a much-improved defender in his senior season — can stave him off, it’ll be tough to see how BC could properly adjust. Especially with SU’s paint stalwarts, Kyle and Freeman, looming down low.
Stat to know: 7.1%
Though Boston College has done well at forcing ill-advised shots, it hasn’t been successful at taking the ball away. The Eagles steal the ball on 7.1% of defensive possessions, which is the 25th-lowest rate in the country, per KenPom.
For an Orange team that tends to cough the ball up late in contests, BC’s steal deficiencies are music to their ears. One could only imagine the power of SU’s offense when point guard Naithan George (over three turnovers per game) can consistently keep possession of the ball.
Player to watch: Fred Payne, guard, No. 5
Payne is arguably Boston College’s most complete player on offense. The 6-foot-1 redshirt sophomore point guard leads the team with 2.76 assists per game, is second in scoring and knocks down 35.2% of his 3-pointers (108 attempts).
Considering Syracuse is likely to focus its backcourt energy toward stopping Hand from going off, Payne is a candidate to have a gaudy performance if the Orange don’t contest him.
