Syracuse gears up for its first game in a week on Saturday at the Dome against Boston College. The Orange downed the Eagles 73-64 back on Feb. 8 and desperately have to win this game to remain any shot of getting into the NCAA Tournament.
At the Conte Forum less than two weeks ago the Orange led throughout the night but could never pull away. BC hung tough in the second half and actually outscored SU 40-39 over the final 20 minutes.
Surprisingly, Cole Swider led the Orange in scoring with 21 points, his season-high. Joe Girard III added 19 but Buddy Boeheim only had 14. The senior shot it well in the first half, but made his first shot of the second and didn’t score the rest of the night. Boeheim went just 6-19 from the field and 2-9 from three.
Syracuse got nothing from Jesse Edwards in that game, as he fouled out in just 13 minutes of play. Edwards also broke his wrist late in the game, and as The Fizz has documented, his loss is momentous to SU’s offense.
Frank Anselem played a then career-high 23 minutes in that game and contributed five points along with six boards and a blocked shot for SU. Quentin Post had his way with the Syracuse bigs in the paint, corralling 14 rebounds, 7 on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor.
Boxing out and being physical with Post is paramount to the Orange’s success on Saturday. Anselem had a career-high 15 rebounds against Virginia Tech last weekend, and he’ll need an encore performance against the Eagle’s big man at the Dome.
Another key for Syracuse is getting Cole Swider hot again. The senior forward struggled against Virginia Tech, going just 4-13 and 0-5 from three. When Swider scores 14 or more points this season, the Orange are 8-3. A big game from the Villanova transfer gives SU a great shot to win its 14th game of the season on Saturday.
It’s a must-win for the Orange. Lose and you can say the season’s over. Win and you still have the smallest of chances. SU just has to focus on what’s in front of them, as BC starts a stretch of five games in 11 days. A one game at a time mentality could prove huge to getting Syracuse closer and closer to the bubble.
