Boston College’s Lonnie Jackson couldn’t miss from the 3-point line. He’d hit one, then another. Trevor Cooney and Tyler Ennis tried to limit his breathing room, but Jackson continued to get open and continued to make it rain.

After entering the game averaging 5.4 points per game, Jackson hit 6-of-9 3s as the Eagles nearly upset Syracuse on Jan 13.

Though SU held the clear edge in talent, BC caught fire from downtown and the Orange needed a 25-9 run to close the game and survive.

“He is a tremendous shooter,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said of Jackson after the game. “We pride ourselves on doing a better job on guys like that.”

Now the top-ranked Orange (25-0, 12-0) will have a second chance to limit Boston College’s perimeter shooting when Syracuse hosts the Eagles (6-19, 2-10) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. This time, SU will try to ensure the second go-around isn’t as close.

For a team that’s won its last two games by a combined three points in the game’s waning moments, SU is in need of a double-digit win to re-establish itself as a dominant team.

“Boston College gives us problems,” SU center Rakeem Christmas said. “They have a lot of shooters.”

But the main shooter in January was Jackson. Forty-six of Jackson’s 56 field goals have come from beyond the arc this season.

BC point guard Olivier Hanlan used lots of clock, a tactic many teams have implemented against the staunch Orange defense this season. Hanlan would work it around to backcourt mate Joe Rahon, who’d pass it back to Hanlan.

Hanlan would create off the dribble, drawing two defenders. Then he’d kick it out to Jackson, who was seemingly always open inches behind the line.

“We knew they would take their time, but we just wanted to find, I can’t even remember his name,” Boeheim said after the game. “Lonnie Jackson. Yeah, I know his name.”

After Syracuse’s 56-55 win over N.C. State on Saturday, Boeheim called the six remaining games the toughest SU has all season. He acknowledged the difficulty of the previous three bouts, but said the next three games will be even tougher.

Though Duke and Maryland on the road are more difficult on paper than the BC game, the challenge of closing out the regular season smoothly starts against the Eagles. Boston College has underachieved all season but is capable of lighting it up from long range and pulling off an upset.

The Eagles nearly did it at the Conte Forum. And if it weren’t for Trevor Cooney’s clutch shooting, BC very well may have.

Duke nearly beat Syracuse by hitting 15 3s. Miami has shown that slowing down the pace and kicking the ball out tends to yield better shots against the highly talented Orange. The Hurricanes nearly upset SU twice, and BC will look to complete the task it was so close to achieving a month ago.

“We had all kinds of trouble with Boston College down eight with eight minutes to go,” Boeheim said. “That’s the way it’s going to be. These games are tough.”

Cooney said the key is to make BC put the ball on the floor.

Boston College forwards Ryan Anderson and Eddie Odio are capable of hurting Syracuse from inside. In January, Anderson finished with 14 and was a solid second option to complement Jackson.

But with Baye Moussa Keita potentially back and Christmas playing as well as he has lately, it won’t be easy for BC to produce inside. The Eagles will likely need to sizzle from the 3-point line once again.

This time, though, SU forward C.J. Fair believes Syracuse will be ready for the challenge.

“We’re a little more familiar with them and how they play,” Fair said. “Now I think we’ll be able to make adjustments more quicker now that I know them and not let them get it going from 3.”

Published on February 18, 2014 at 11:58 pm

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass