Syracuse took down Boston College 73-64 back on February 8. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. This happened:
INJURY UPDATE: Junior center Jesse Edwards has a fractured left wrist and is out for the season. pic.twitter.com/0JlPOz1xlO
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) February 10, 2022
Syracuse certainly missed Jesse Edwards in Saturday’s loss to Virginia Tech. The Hokies’ starting frontcourt of Keve Aluma and Justyn Mutts overwhelmed the Orange for 32 combined points. Mutts also recorded 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Combine that with his 12 points, that was enough for the senior forward to record the second triple-double in VT history.
Frank’s First Start
Frank Anselem started the first game of his career in Jesse Edwards’ stead. The Nigerian center scored 6 points while corralling 15 rebounds over 36 minutes played.
“He’s not going to score a lot,” Head Coach Jim Boeheim said. “He sets good screens, he moves without the ball, and his defense was good, he rebounded the ball. That’s what he has to do, and he did a tremendous job there.”
No help from Bourama
Anselem’s shift to the starting unit has left a hole in SU’s bench. To try and fill the plug, Coach Boeheim subbed in Bourama Sidibe and… it didn’t go well. The fifth-year center played just four minutes and recorded three fouls.
What happened last time
Now, focusing in on Saturday’s tilt. As stated earlier, Syracuse beat Boston College 73-64 back on February 8. Here are some of the factors that made the final score what it was.
BAD interior defense
Interior defense was a huge issue the last time Syracuse played Boston College, even though Edwards played. Junior Quinten Post came off the bench for the Eagles and had himself a night. The 7-footer recorded a career-high 14 rebounds while also scoring 14. But Post’s status for Saturday remains up in the air at the time of writing. The Dutch big man has missed BC’s last two games due to COVID protocols.
Swider’s swishes
Up until the loss to Virginia Tech, nobody in the 315 was hotter than Cole Swider, and his performance in Chestnut Hill exemplified that. The senior forward scored 21 points in the game and nailed 5 of his 8 shots from beyond the arc. It was his fourth straight game shooting over 50% from downtown.
Unfortunately, the trend didn’t continue against VT. Swider was 0-5 from range against the Hokies. The Villanova transfer will aim to bounce back against an opponent he has had success against this season.
Frontcourts go toe-to-toe
Both starting frontcourts had some success the last time the foes squared off. For BC, Jaeden Zackery and Demarr Langford Jr. combined for 32 points on 4-10 shooting from beyond the arc. The guards also had 7 assists.
Meanwhile, Joe Girard and Buddy Boeheim had 33 for SU. JG3 in particular had it
cooking. The junior guard was 3-5 from range as well as 8-8 from the charity stripe. Buddy, on the other hand, was just 2-9 from three.
Team 3-PT disparities
Despite Buddy’s struggles, Syracuse dominated Boston College in the shooting game. The Eagles were just 6-28 from beyond the arc. On the flip side, Syracuse was 11-24. That equates to a 24% difference.
Putting it all together
Offense hasn’t been a problem for Syracuse this season. The Orange are averaging nearly 80 PPG. The defense has been the problem, as SU has given up 70+ in 14 of 25 games this season. Syracuse is 5-9 in those contests.
“This is one of the best offensive teams in the country,” Coach Boeheim remarked. “Period. There’s no reason for us not to be a better team, we just can’t stop people.”
Syracuse and Boston College will duke it out for the second time this season on Saturday. WAER’s coverage begins with GZA Countdown to Tipoff at 11:30 followed by the game at noon.