Syracuse picked up its second ACC win of the season, topping Boston College at the JMA Wireless Dome. Here are the key takeaways from the win.

While there had been some calls for Maliq Brown to replace Naheem McLeod in the Orange starting lineup, no one wanted it to be due to injury. A release noted McLeod is on the shelf indefinitely with an injury to his right foot, but Quadir Copeland said in the locker room after the game that McLeod is out for the year.

Judah Mintz was pulled from the starting lineup shortly before the game for a violation of a team rule. Mintz entered the game with 10:39 remaining in the first half and played the remainder of the contest.

When Mintz did enter the game, he was part of a group substitution, the first bench move for SU to that point. Mintz joined starter J.J. Starling, as did Kyle Cuffe, Mounir Hima, and Benny Williams. While the defense did not miss a beat, the unit struggled on offense.

The group nearly committed a shot clock violation on the first possession, then drew fouls on the next three trips down court, two coming in transition. The team made just 1-of-2 from the line on each opportunity, then had another missed jumper before the next media timeout and three starters returned to the floor.

The Orange desperately needed Chris Bell and Justin Taylor to break out of their offensive slump and things seemed great at the jump.

They each hit a 3-pointer on SU’s first two possessions, the former over a defender with his hand down and the latter off an easy action in the half-court. Bell would connect four times from long range, but that first shot was Taylor’s only 3, and he ended up shooting just 3-of-11.

Even with Bell’s four 3-pointers, Syracuse finished just 6-for-21 from long range in the game. That makes them 18-of-74 (24.3 percent) from beyond the arc in their four ACC games.

While he was not the only SU player to match up with Quentin Post, Maliq Brown did a masterful job defending Boston College’s top scorer.

Post spent three minutes in the locker room after tweaking an ankle in the second half and much of the night on the bench with foul trouble, eventually fouling out with 2:13 to play. In his 26:00 of action, the Eagles were outscored, 42-36, as Post turned in a scoreless effort, finishing 0-for-4 from the field with seven turnovers.

Brown’s teammates all made life difficult for the guests in the first 17 minutes of play, holding the Eagles to just 4-of-24 shooting from the field and 1-of-14 on 3-pointers while also forcing 13 turnovers, including a dozen steals. That work, including turning those BC miscues into 16 points, enabled the Orange to hold a 28-9 lead.

Syracuse hits the road for a Saturday matinee when they will take on #7 North Carolina. The Tar Heels (12-3, 4-0 ACC) have won five straight games including three in conference play and one over then-#7 Oklahoma.

RJ Davis averages 20.3 points per game and has made 44 3-pointers on the season at a 39.6 percent clip. Armando Bacot is a walking double-double, posting 14.5 points and 10.7 rebounds an outing on the season. Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan also average in double figures for North Carolina, combining for just almost 24 points per game while making 49 triples on the year.

ESPN will televise Saturday’s game between the Orange and the Tar Heels, which will get underway at 12:00pm Eastern.

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