Syracuse got back on track with its third win in four games on Saturday in the Carrier Dome. The Orange (11-7, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) defeated Boston College, 76-53, just 13 days after giving up 96 points to the Eagles (9-9, 2-3). Freshman guard Tyus Battle scored a career-high 21 points and SU scored 20 points off 20 BC turnovers to cruise to the blowout win.

Here are three things we learned from the game.

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MORE COVERAGE

• The Final Word: Beat writers discuss Syracuse’s victory
• Syracuse scores 20 points off 20 turnovers in 76-53 win against Boston College
• Syracuse holds Boston College’s Ky Bowman to 3 points in 76-53 win
• Tyus Battle scores career-high 21 points in Syracuse’s 76-53 win over Boston College

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Syracuse’s point guards can co-exist once again

John Gillon played all but one minute in Syracuse’s two biggest wins of the year over Miami and Pittsburgh last week. After he and Frank Howard both struggled against Virginia Tech on Tuesday — Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said his point guards were as bad as they’ve been all year — both parts of the duo performed well against Boston College. They combined for eight points, nine assists and, perhaps most telling, just two turnovers.

Following the win over Miami, Boeheim said he wanted to have one main point guard. Gillon still received the majority of minutes on Saturday, but Howard provided a boost off the bench of which Boeheim was complimentary. Finding reliable production at point guard has been a major storyline all season and Gillon (26 minutes) and Howard (16 minutes) were solid against the Eagles.

“I thought our point guards struggled in the first half but then I thought in the second half they bounced back,” Boeheim said.

“Eight points, nine assists, I’ll take that.”

The Orange’s defense can turn around in a short amount of time

Saturday’s matchup with Boston College was SU’s first against a team it had previously played this season. On New Year’s Day, SU gave up a season-high 96 points to the Eagles. After that game, Boeheim said his team’s defense was so bad it looked like it hadn’t even practiced on that side of the court.

But just 13 days later, Syracuse gave up nearly half that much. The turnaround is a testament to the Orange’s players clicking in the 2-3 zone. All season, Boeheim has discussed having four new players as part of his rotation. Three months into the year, they’re finally getting on the same page.

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“It all is defense for us,” Boeheim said. “I think we forced 15 turnovers in the first half and it was strictly just the defensive effort. … I think our defense is getting a little better.”

Come March, SU is likely to still be fighting for an NCAA Tournament berth. But the way that Syracuse has gotten hot in three of the past four games — specifically on the defensive end — is a lesson to remember. Regardless of how the rest of the regular season goes, there’s a chance the Orange could again heat up in the ACC tournament, and anything can happen.

Dajuan Coleman’s knees aren’t quite up to par

Since conference play began two weeks ago, fifth-year senior center Dajuan Coleman has played just one minute. Boeheim has said that it’s a combination of the Orange having a logjam at forward as well as Coleman’s knees being sore. Coleman missed about 22 months due to knee injuries in the middle of his Orange career. Boeheim explained on Saturday that the big isn’t quite ready to play key minutes for SU.

“He’ll say he’s alright but when you watch him in practice, he’s not moving, he’s not jumping,” Boeheim said. “He wants to play and he’s going to say he’s alright, but I don’t see it. I watch him every day and I just don’t see it. … He just isn’t moving well enough in practice, and you just have to go by that.”

Coleman is one of two players in Syracuse history to be on two Final Four teams. His final year, though, is spiraling away while he sits on the bench. Boeheim said there’s a chance a time will come when the Orange needs Coleman to contribute, but there’s no telling when that will be.

Published on January 14, 2017 at 8:25 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds