Syracuse (14-6, 5-2 Atlantic Coast) plays at Boston College (11-7, 2-4) on Wednesday night at Conte Forum. The Orange enter off a 22-point loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday, while BC has consecutive wins over Florida State and Wake Forest. Each of the last two times SU has played at Conte Forum, it’s left with a loss.

Here’s what to know about the Eagles before Wednesday night.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 47-26

Last time they played: After beating Boston College in the Carrier Dome last season, Syracuse played at BC and lost 85-70 on Feb. 28, 2018. The Orange followed last season’s usual pattern: Tyus Battle scored 29, supplemented with 18 from Oshae Brissett and 17 from Frank Howard (although Howard shot 6-of-20). BC finished with four players in double figures, including Ky Bowman with a team-high 23. He’s back and leading the Eagles in scoring again.

The Boston College report: It’s the Ky Bowman show for Boston College. The 6-foot-1 junior point guard leads the Eagles in scoring, assisting, rebounding, steals and is third in blocks. A quick guard who can shoot it from the perimeter and attack the rim, he’ll be the main threat that Syracuse will focus on. Opposing guards have burned the 2-3 zone on numerous occasions this season, and the Orange’s biggest focus will be on one of the ACC’s best players in Bowman.

Beyond him, the Eagles feature three players who put up between 13 and 14 points per game. Wynston Tabbs is a freshman guard who plays alongside Bowman and is at his most effective working inside the arc. Jordan Chatman is a veteran who is the second-biggest 3-point threat BC has behind Bowman. And Nik Popovic, 6-foot-11 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, works the interior with solid post moves and a soft touch.

One of the Eagles’ biggest strengths is guarding on the perimeter, as they’re one of the country’s best teams at stealing the basketball. SU struggled against good defensive guards at Virginia Tech, and Bowman and co. will look to continue their ball-snatching ways on Wednesday.

How Syracuse beats Boston College: Two of the best things Boston College does is steal the ball and have Ky Bowman. The Orange have to prevent both of those from causing a loss.

Bowman fits the mold of the Hokies’ Justin Robinson, who burned the Orange with 35 points and nine 3s on Saturday. He’s reached 20 points in three of his four career games against Syracuse. Tyus Battle and Frank Howard will have to press up high on Bowman at the top of SU’s 2-3 zone to limit his jump shots. Then, when he penetrates the defense, SU needs to close down to prevent finishes at the rim. BC poses less of a one-through-five threat than VT, so the Orange need to key on Bowman.

Offensively, Syracuse struggled with hard hedges and double screens while running the pick-and-roll against the Hokies. SU needs to find a counter to double teams and avoid giving the ball away for easy transition buckets for the Eagles.

Stat to know: 8.1 — The number of rebounds per game Ky Bowman averages, tops on BC even though he’s only 6-foot-1

KenPom odds: Syracuse is given a 60 percent chance to win, by a projected 70-67 scoreline

Player to watch: Ky Bowman, guard, No. 0

Coming out of high school, Bowman was regarded as a better football player than basketball player. He had a scholarship offer from Alabama. But he loved basketball, so he went from North Carolina to play for BC head coach Jim Christian. Now a junior, he’s the do-everything man for the Eagles, leading them in most stat categories. He’s also known for dying his hair fun colors. It’s been red; of late, it’s been gold. Bowman will need to stand out on the court with his play for BC to have a shot at beating Syracuse.

Published on January 29, 2019 at 7:26 pm

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3