It’s no secret that Syracuse has heavily relied on the trio of Tyus Battle, Frank Howard and Oshae Brissett. But tonight, the Orange faces a set of teammates that might be even more powerful. Boston College boasts a big three of Ky Bowman, Jerome Robinson and Jordan Chatman. So which trio will be the bigger difference maker in tonight’s matchup?
Syracuse:
When SU’s three aren’t clicking, you can almost guarantee a loss. Take a look at the Duke game. Battle, Howard and Brissett combined to shoot 10-for-39 (25.6 percent) from the field in the loss. Had at least one of those three found their stride in the first half, we could have been looking at a resume-building upset bid for the Orange on the road.
These three account for 73 percent of SU’s offense. When you watch the games, it seems like the team is playing 3-on-5 basketball at times. All three are capable of creating and making their own shots. However, it’s no secret that there can be offensive lapses as well. None of them shoots better than 34 percent from deep, which stagnates the offense when SU begins to settle for jump shots.
Outside of scoring, Howard and Battle both rank inside the top 10 in the conference in steals, which we’ve come to expect over the years from the top of the Orange zone. Outside of those two, Brissett is ninth in the ACC in rebounding, which has surely been a pleasant surprise for SU fans.
Syracuse surely has the firepower in its big three, but Boston College can surely stack up.
Boston College:
The Eagles top dogs are no doubt the reason why BC is on its way to its first above-.500 season since 2011. Bowman, Robinson and Chatman have been nothing short of spectacular to help revive the program. These three supply two-thirds of the BC scoring offense, led by Robinson who leads the conference with 25 points per game in ACC play. This has all been fundamental to the Eagles’ astounding 13-3 record at the Conte Forum.
Alongside Robinson, Bowman and Chatman each average at least a dozen points and can light it up from three. Both Robinson and Chatman shoot 39.5 percent or better from deep. Meanwhile Bowman connects on 34.6 percent of his tries, which is better than any of Syracuse’s big three. However, that might not be a great indicator of how dangerous Bowman is from deep. As a freshman, he was one of the best snipers in the conference at 45 percent. In these teams’ first meeting, BC’s three combined to shoot 10-for-20 from behind the arc and were the only reason the Eagles hung around for as long as they did.
When you look outside of scoring, Bowman is really the only one that jumps out. He may stand at just 6-foot-1, but he plays much bigger than his size. After all, he was originally committed to be a wide receiver at North Carolina before switching to basketball. He averages nearly seven rebounds and five assists while also contributing more than a steal per game on the defensive end.
When you break it down, Syracuse’s scheme and overall quality of its big three have the edge. But if one of them can break a game open, it’s Boston College’s marksmanship from three that has proven its upset capabilities over the year.
