Syracuse (8-5) opens up Atlantic Coast Conference play on Sunday at Boston College (7-6) at 12:30 p.m. This marks the first season the Orange has lost five nonconference games in program history. SU can turn the page on the first half of its season as it begins 2017 with a road matchup against the worst team in the ACC.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 45-24.

Last time they played: The Orange beat Boston College, 75-61, on Feb. 14 last season. The win extended SU’s win streak to five, sandwiched between road losses to Virginia and Louisville. Syracuse used an 18-6 first-half run to push its lead to as many as 10, but the Eagles came back. Freshman Matt Milon (who transferred to William & Mary in the offseason) poured in 20 first-half points. BC took the lead in the second half with under 16 minutes to play, but it lasted for just 33 seconds. Michael Gbinije answered with a 3 and the Orange pulled away from there. Forward Tyler Lydon led Syracuse with 20 points while Gbinije had 17.

The Boston College report: The highest-rated team BC has beaten, per Kenpom.com, is Providence at 67th. Providence had previously been 10-2 with losses coming to Virginia and Ohio State. Since that matchup on Dec. 23, the Eagles have had over a week to prep for Syracuse. While BC enters with some momentum, it also lost to Harvard, Hartford and Fairfield in the month of December.

Boston College leans heavily on Jerome Robinson, who takes 32.9 percent of the Eagles’ shots while he’s on the court, per Kenpom. That ranks 48th in the country and second in the ACC. Fellow guard Ky Bowman, a freshman, is BC’s second leading scorer with 10.4 points per game. In the past four games, which includes wins over Auburn and Providence, Bowman has averaged 19 points. Meanwhile, no player on the Eagles averages more than 6.2 rebounds.

“You see some strange scores out there, that’s the game of basketball,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “Boston College was struggling against everybody they played and they were up 20 against Providence the other day. Twenty. Made it look easy.”

How Syracuse beats Boston College: The Orange has to contain Robinson and Bowman, two dangerous players from the guard position. Even after SU’s 24-point win over Cornell, Boeheim cited the Orange’s inability to locate shooters once again after the Big Red’s Matt Morgan hit two 3s in the first eight minutes. It’s an area that Syracuse can tighten up and while the Eagles rank near the bottom of the conference in most categories, BC ranks 49th with a 3-point percentage of 38.7. Shut down Robinson and Bowman and the Orange should be on its way to starting 2017 on a good note.

Stat to know: 16.2 — Boston College averages 16.2 turnovers per game. Syracuse, meanwhile, averages 8.9 steals per game, which ranks first in the ACC. If SU can turn BC over and get out in transition, the Orange could run away with a road win.

Player to watch: Jerome Robinson, guard, No. 1

Robinson averages 20.5 points per game — an 8.8 point increase from his freshman year — and is BC’s only player averaging more than 10.5. He’s used on 29.6 percent of possessions, per Kenpom, meaning when he’s on the court, 29.6 of Boston College’s possessions end with him making a shot, missing a shot that isn’t rebounded by the offense or committing a turnover. That ranks 71st nationwide and second in the ACC. In the past four games, Robinson has averaged 24.3 points per game. He’s tied for the ACC lead with nine 20-point games. He shoots 39.1 percent from 3 and aside from his scoring, Robinson ranks second in the ACC in minutes per game (34.5) and steals per game (2.08).

Published on December 30, 2016 at 5:11 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds