Syracuse vs. Boston College Basketball Preview: Q&A With BC Interruption

Lost season? Not with #OrangeEagle points on the line. Grab a win here and Syracuse can put even more distance between themselves and the Eagles. It'll also help us get away from all that postseason ban talk -- which we all need -- even if just for the evening.

Below, Coach JF of the excellent BC Interruption (you already follow them on Twitter, right?), stops by to chat all about Eagles basketball. Join us below, and swing over there too if you'd like to see our answers.

Jim Boeheim called BC's Olivier Hanlan the "best guard in the ACC" on Monday's teleconference. Do you agree, or was Jim just drunk (or some other reasonable excuse)?

He's in the mix, but I think so much of the Hanlan discussion is because he's really all BC has and that has him near the top of the ACC list. There are a lot of very good guards in the conference, but if we were to go strictly on that criteria, Trevor Cooney would be there too. Hanlan is a a good player, the best BC has, but there are a lot of deficiencies, particularly defensively and ball handling (too many sloppy turnovers) for me to totally buy in on that statement.

Seems 2015 has not been very kind to Boston College, dealing them nine losses in the new year; is it a product of conference play and a tougher schedule, or a bigger funk for the Eagles?

Like most issues, it's usually not one thing and that's the case with this team's record. The schedule has been difficult (5 of the 10 conference games against teams ranked in the top 12 in the country at the time they played), a lack of confidence when it comes to closing out winnable games and a lack of depth (losing Ryan Anderson and Joe Rahon before the season along with reserves like Lonnie Jackson and the dearth of big men ..Clifford, Magarity, Diallo, Caudill and Odio have all spent time out a game or out for the year). BC simply isn't talented enough to overcome all those shortcomings and get many wins. I was watching an old Troy Bell video the other night, the BC teams in that period had athletes and had a talent level this one just doesn't.

Did BC fans feel like Syracuse was going to choke away that game several weeks ago? Because I was about ready to believe it.

Nah, I think at that point, most BC fans had seen the drill. The Eagles have been competitive and made runs, the Notre Dame game is another example of the same thing, but getting over that hill is not easy, especially being down that big and that late. BC has shown resolve for sure and it was a flashback to the SU of old on the free throw line, but that result wasn't being flipped.

Looking at the rest of the slate, how do you think things play out for the Eagles basketball team?

I think we are in for more of the same. The schedule is definitely a lighter from here on out and BC has a chance to grab a few wins. One of the things working against the Eagles is that more winnable games all come on the road. I can see BC winning a couple here, but there is a really good chance they won't be a favorite in any game the rest of the season and even if they are, you might need to wait until one of the last two (at Virginia Tech and vs Wake Forest) to see it. I am thinking BC can get to three league wins this year.

I'm probably asking for trouble here, but: Do you think Syracuse's self-imposed postseason ban is bullshit, given the circumstances? Feel free to be as extensive as you want here. I'm honestly curious.

Bullshit, maybe...well timed and suspicious, definitely. I know the NCAA has been poking around for a while now, but I do find it interesting that SU went through a stretch of winnable games a few weeks ago and struggled and then with the bulk of their marquis games at the back end of the schedule, threw themselves on the mercy of the courts. Everyone knew the deal going into the season, do it back then, I think it comes across more genuine. Guess that makes it bullshit, doesn't it?

What's one thing this BC team has done well this season that you think can translate well to next year's squad and some greater success?

It may be easy to say "resolve", I mentioned that before, but the interesting thing about this team is that they lose so many key players, in many ways, be like starting over again next year. Brown, Batten, Heckmann, Odio, Cain Carney, Dragicevich, Caudill and who knows about Hanlan, are all gone. Now some play a lot and others get little or no run, but this roster is going through a near complete overhaul in 2015-16. For those that remain, Christian has done a good job to date of keeping them engaged and playing competitively, I am just not sure that most or anything of what we see this season will translate to what we see in the future.

Prediction time: What goes down in Chestnut Hill on Wednesday? Can BC upset a deflated Syracuse team and nab some #OranegEagle points? Or is Syracuse due to bounce back after a rough week or so on and off the court?

This may be BC's last chance to get back into the #OrangeEagle battle..with our hockey team not looking like they will be able to make up any points and SU still with LAX in it's back pocket, the Eagles need this one. That was my Jim Christian pregame speech...think it will work? BC plays it close again, but turnovers against the zone that the Orange turn into easy baskets and rebounding come back to haunt. Syracuse 62 BC 56.

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Thanks again for taking the time out for these, CoachJF! Again, be sure to follow BC Interruption on Twitter (which you probably do already), and head over BCI for everything you may need to know about the Eagles.