Syracuse basketball: Four things to look for vs. Boston College

The Syracuse Orange’s real season begins tomorrow evening as they tip off ACC play this year. The matchup is against the 7-6 Boston College Eagles, the team right below the Orange in the ACC standings.

Despite the horrendous start to the season, the Orange have a chance to right their ship and fix what has gone so wrong so far. If SU can prove they belong in the ACC, then what they went through before could be forgotten. However, this is a massive hole to dig out of.

Will Jim Boeheim change his rotation?

Everyone knows that the ACC matters most to coach Jim Boeheim and Syracuse, and for the team to reach its potential, Boeheim may need to tighten the rotation for the upcoming challenges.

The long-time coach will always play the best five players on the floor, and sometimes it doesn’t matter to him if they are the only five who get in the game. The Eagles aren’t the most competitive team in the ACC, but a win to get conference play started is all Boeheim is looking forward to in this matchup.

Has someone fixed Tyler Lydon?

Tyler Lydon got off to a surprisingly slow start this year, struggling to find his fit in the offense and failing to hit his shot from all areas of the floor. Lydon is Syracuse’s best player and their success goes through him, so the recent play from Lydon is only encouraging for what’s to come.

Lydon is averaging 17.4 points per game over his last five contests, a massive increase from his 12.8 season average overall. The Orange need Lydon more than ever going into ACC play, and if his recent play stays the course, SU could be in good hands for the long run.

How will the Orange slow down Jerome Robinson?

The Eagles are a one-man offense orchestrated by leading scorer Jerome Robinson. Robinson is averaging 20.5 points per game, 10 points more than the next-best BC player. The sophomore guard dominates from behind and inside the arc, while also making his presence known on the glass.

Boston College hasn’t given Robinson much support on the offensive side of the ball this year, so if the Orange can control Robinson’s success they should be setting themselves up nicely for a victory.

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How will Tyus Battle impact ACC play?

Tyus Battle is back in the starting lineup and is coming off of one of his best games yet as a member of the Orange. The freshman guard finished with 16 points against Cornell as he showed his talents both in the paint and from three.

Battle has had an inconsistent start to the year, but as he says goodbye to his foot injury, Battle looks primed and ready to make his name known in arguably the best conference in the nation.