Opponent Preview: What to know before No. 21 SU’s 2nd meeting with Boston College

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The tail end of a three-game stretch versus all ranked teams brought Syracuse back down to earth. Fresh off its first-ever win in South Bend, Indiana, over then-No.15 Notre Dame, the Orange fell in two straight games against then-No. 19 Virginia Tech and No. 16 Louisville. It was the first time all season that SU lost multiple contests in a row.

Though the Orange have a relatively favorable schedule to finish 2023-24, which begins with a matchup versus Boston College Sunday in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Since the two teams’ first meeting of the season in early January, the Eagles have dropped two of their last seven games and currently rank near the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Here’s everything you need to know about Boston College (11-12, 3-7 ACC) before its second matchup of the season against No. 21 Syracuse (17-4, 7-3 ACC) Sunday:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 38-26.

Last time they played…

The Orange downed BC 71-64 on Jan. 7, despite a 37.1% clip from the field. It was the tied-second worst shooting performance for SU in 2023-24, but Syracuse was bolstered by a career-high 17 points from freshman Sophie Burrows.

SU held the Eagles’ offense quiet. None of BC’s scorers dropped more than 12 points while it was limited to just 38 points through the opening three quarters. The victory was the start of a six-game winning streak for SU, which included ranked wins over ND and FSU.

The Eagles report

Boston College enters Sunday with the fourth-worst record in the ACC. It’s lost each of its last four contests, scoring 61 points or fewer through them all.

Head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee’s squad has strung together a solid offense, ranking No. 69 in the nation in points per game (72.0). The Eagles house four double-digit scorers, which is one more than Syracuse has. According to HerHoopStats, BC shoots the ball well, at a 43.3% clip (No. 74 in the country), and earns consistent second-chance opportunities with the 38th-most offensive boards per game (14.1).

But the Eagles’ defense appears prime for SU to exploit. Per HerHoopStats, they give up the third-most points per outing in the ACC (68.8) and contrary to their offensive total, they struggle on the glass, grabbing the 10th-least defensive rebounds per game.

How Syracuse beats Boston College

Even if the Orange suffer shortcomings from the field in their third consecutive contest, they can rely on Alyssa Latham and Kyra Wood to dominate inside. Boston College lacks size and success on the boards. It’s missing a true glass cleaner, as BC is without a single player who averages at least four rebounds per game.

The Eagles have holes in their performance on the defensive boards, and the Orange are the fourth-best offensive rebounding team in the nation (16.8) per game. SU has six players who average more rebounds than Boston College’s leader on the boards (Teya Sidberry, 3.9). Wood, Latham and Saniaa Wilson off the bench should have an easy time gathering second-chance points to build a large SU lead early.

Plus, Fair, Georgia Woolley and Alaina Rice can simply filter the ball to Syracuse’s post players all day long and outmatch BC down low. The Eagles have allowed the seventh-most 2-point field goals in the country through their first 23 games, proving to be a team the Orange should find a litany of high-percentage looks against.

Stat to know: 45.7%

BC allows the 14th-worst opponent field goal percentage in the country at 45.7%, which is also the lowest total in the ACC.

The Orange shot uncharacteristically poor despite a win over Boston College the first time around. And coming off two straight shooting performances of 37% or fewer, Sunday is a prime chance for SU’s Fair, Woolley and Rice to display pristine marks from the field.

Player to watch: Kaylah Ivey, guard, No. 2

The Eagles have a diverse cast of scorers, and point guard Kaylah Ivey is the key to unlocking them. Ivey dishes out 5.6 assists per game, the third-best mark in the ACC.

For Syracuse to fend off Boston College, Fair and Rice need to invade passing lanes and force on-ball steals so they can prevent Ivey from spreading the rock to BC’s shooters.