Five Takeaways from Syracuse's Win Over Boston College

The Orange won its second in a row by knocking off the Eagles.

Syracuse beat Boston College 75-67 on Saturday in a game that was not always pretty. Here are the key takeaways from the win. 

1. A WIN IS A WIN

Syracuse won. That is the major thing from this game. They could not lose to a shorthanded 3-12 (coming in) Boston College team and still hope to make a run at an NCAA Tournament bid. Winning this game, no matter how, was important because of that. Syracuse did not always play its best. They struggled defensively at times, were stagnant offensively outside of the first few minutes, and turned it over far too much. But again, a win is a win and they got one without playing their best. 

2. TALE OF TWO HALVES

It is interesting to contrast certain things in the first half versus the second. Joe Girard scored 16 points in the first half but was scoreless in the second. He was clearly the best player on the floor during that first half, and Boston College had no defensive answer for him. Quincy Guerrier had just two points in the first half but 10 in the second. Syracuse shot 54.8% in the first half to just 39.1% in the second. Marek Dolezaj scored just three points in the first half, but had 10 in the second. Syracuse was 2-4 from the free throw line in the first half and 16-19 in the second. In fact, the Orange started the game 5-10 from the charity stripe before making their final 13. 

3. SLOPPY DOWN THE STRETCH

Every time Boston College made a push to put game pressure on Syracuse, the Orange responded. Each Eagles run was met by a Syracuse spurt. However, Syracuse was sloppy down the stretch when they seemed to have the game in hand. Up 12 with 2:22 remaining, Syracuse turned it over on three straight possessions. Boston College trimmed the lead to six and had a chance to cut it down even more. While Syracuse survived this, it cannot be that sloppy with the ball in the final minutes. 

4. GUERRIER WAS BETTER IN THE SECOND HALF

Quincy Guerrier had just two points and two rebounds in the first half despite having an advantage inside. He gave up position on defense, lacked physicality on the boards and seemed out of sorts before intermission. In the second half, Quincy was what Syracuse needs him to be. He put in 10 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks all in the second half. Guerrier has to be Syracuse's physical presence inside. He failed to be that in the first half, but was every bit of that after halftime. 

5. MUST TAKE CARE OF THE BASKETBALL

Syracuse turned it over 17 times in the game against a Boston College team that is 124th in the nation in defensive efficiency per KenPom.com. Many of those turnovers were unforced. Syracuse has a stretch of games coming up against Louisville, Notre Dame, Duke, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. They will need to take much better care of the basketball against those teams if they hope to pile up some wins in order to strengthen the NCAA Tournament resume.