In Syracuse’s 79-71 win over Boston College on Saturday, it accomplished something for the first time this season: winning a game away from the JMA Wireless Dome.
It’s been that type of season for the Orange this year, who have struggled with consistency amid the team’s worst start since 1968. Syracuse didn’t beat a power five opponent until a 62-55 win over Georgia Tech on Jan. 7, but the Orange have done that twice in five days with the win over Boston College, improving to 1-6 on the road.
That begs the question: is this real momentum? Or is it a temporary break from the disappointment?
While an NCAA tournament bid is unlikely barring a surprise run to the ACC title that would award an automatic berth, Syracuse has looked much better since the calendar flipped to 2025. After allowing their opponents to score over 80 points a game for the first 14 games of the season, in the last two games the Orange have held Boston College and Georgia Tech well under that number.
The three-point shooting is still questionable, but Syracuse shot 40% from deep and hit 10 three-pointers in its first game of 2025 against Florida State, and delivered a 5-for-15 performance beyond the arc against Boston College for a respectable 33%. Considering the Orange started as one of the worst teams in the country shooting the three-ball, that’s a notable improvement.
Another bad habit Syracuse left in 2024 was its poor starts, as the team regularly let teams race out to an early lead that forced it to play catch up for the entire game. That’s no longer the case, as the Orange have done enough in the opening minutes to either keep up with opponents or give themselves an early lead.
Even the turnovers, which Syracuse has shot itself in the foot with all season, have started to come around. Averaging nearly 13 turnovers per game heading into its matchup against Boston College, the Orange only turned the ball over 5 times against the Eagles. That has to happen more often if Syracuse wants to play meaningful basketball in March.
The back-to-back wins have pushed the Orange back up to .500 at 8-8, which puts them 9th in the ACC. Even after Syracuse’s poor start, it was unlikely with the talent on this team that it would be one of the worst in the country, which is where the Orange were headed. With a clean slate and solid momentum, it’s hard not to feel hopeful about Syracuse’s new upward trajectory.
