As January comes to a close, it is safe to say this season has been one of peaks and valleys for Syracuse Basketball so far.
The peaks have certainly been high, with victories over Ohio State, Clemson and most notably Duke, all coming on the road. Take a look at the schedule, though, and the valleys are undeniable. Losses against Old Dominion and Georgia Tech at the Carrier Dome punctuate the inconsistency of the 2018-19 Orange.
Syracuse (14-6) comes into a Wednesday night matchup at Boston College (11-7) looking to lift itself out of its latest low point. Last Saturday, Virginia Tech held Jim Boeheim's squad to its lowest point total of the season in a 78-56 home win for the Hokies.
The SU offense looks to bounce back against a Boston College defensive unit that allows an average of 72.3 points per game, the worst mark among ACC teams. Increased ball movement was key during a three-game win streak prior to the loss at Virginia Tech. Syracuse racked up 17.3 assists per game in those three wins, but could only manage seven assists against Tech.
An instrumental part of the offensive attack is Frank Howard, who has recovered from a slow start with 11.3 points and 3.3 assists per game over his last six contests. The senior point guard continues to regain explosiveness and feel after an ankle injury kept him out until late November.
Boston College is in the midst of an up-and-down campaign as well. The Eagles lost five straight games before back-to-back wins, the latest coming over Wake Forest. The team continues to lean on the play of junior Ky Bowman. The 6'1" guard paces his squad in points (20.5, third in the ACC,) rebounds (8.1, fifth) and assists (3.6) while tied for first in steals (1.4.) Bowman has played every minute of regulation in BC's last four contests. He is surrounded by three other double digit scorers in Wynston Tabbs (13.9), Nik Popovic (13.9) and Jordan Chatman (13.4.)
Wednesday marks game two of a three-game road trip for SU, with a stop in Pittsburgh rounding it out on Saturday. The Orange and Eagles split the two-game series last year, each team winning at home. These two square off for the first time this season at 8 pm Wednesday night in Conte Forum. Tune in to 88.3 FM starting at 7:30 with countdown to tip-off for pregame coverage right up until the opening tip.