The Boston College Eagles travel to take on the Syracuse Orange tonight in ACC College Basketball action. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPNu. Currently the odds for the game have Syracuse favored by a comfortable margin in this one.
Syracuse isn't having the type of season the Orange are accustomed to. With five losses already this year the Orange are looking to stockpile as many wins as possible in the ACC so they can eventually make it to the NCAA Tournament in March. Yet, the Orange will play one of the most brutal stretches in college basketball later this year when they take on Duke, Louisville, Pitt, Notre Dame, Duke and Virginia in a six-game stretch as they close out the season. That's rough. To survive a stretch like that, the Orange will have to pick up wins against teams like Boston College.
The Eagles come in having lost all four of their ACC games but do own a decent win at home over Providence. Scoring points seems to have been a problem for the Eagles as they've averaged 65 per game this season, but only 57 during ACC play. If they play a lower-scoring game tonight they're going to have a chance against Syracuse, a team that scores almost 69 points per game themselves. The Orange were held to only 53 points at Clemson, a game that ended a seven-game winning streak.
The Orange are looking to start another winning streak tonight with Rakeem Christmas and Trevor Cooney having big games. Christmas is a double-double type player and should command a lot of attention from Boston College on the interior. Cooney hasn't been shooting the best this season at only 38 percent from downtown, but he can knock down big shots for the Orange and help them build a comfortable lead in this one tonight. Kaleb Joseph is a very good freshman point guard and the Orange are at their best when he is playing well.
Boston College gets 16.5 points a game from Olivier Hanlan and almost 14 a game from Aaron Brown and both are going to have to play well in order to win tonight. Playing at the Carrier Dome won't be easy for the Eagles, and look for the Orange to get a win here tonight.
Free Pick: Syracuse 62, Boston College 50
The NBA At The Halfway Mark
Teddy Covers from Pregame.com and Pauly Howard give their opinions on the NBA as we near the halfway mark of the season.
$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Get more Free Picks from the Pregame Pros HERE.
Be sure and check out Pregame.tv every week for our videos that include handicapping tips, Webinars, analysis and Free Plays.