Syracuse, leaning on Donnie Freeman, takes on Boston College

Field Level Media|published: Fri 16th January, 18:12 2026

Jan 13, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Donnie Freeman (1) shoots against Florida State Seminoles guard Martin Somerville (1) during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Donnie Freeman will try to lead Syracuse to its fourth straight victory when the Orange visit Boston College in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Freeman, a 6-foot-9 forward, has scored at least 18 points in each of the four games he's played since returning after missing nine games due to a leg injury. He had 25 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 94-86 victory over Florida State.

"He's playing really well," Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said. "Offensively, he's one of the better players in college basketball."

Syracuse (12-5, 3-1 ACC) has a 7-1 record with Freeman in the lineup this season. He's averaging 23.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game since he returned from his leg injury.

"We're a very well-rounded team," Freeman said. "I mean, of course I hit some big shots down the stretch the last few games, but coming up it could be anybody. It just so happened to be me the last few games.

"I've been playing well now, but I know the college basketball game is tough and it's unpredictable. So you just want to keep a level head, (stay) even-keeled. This game's behind me now and now I gotta get ready for Boston College. Take it day by day."

Boston College (7-10, 0-4 ACC) committed 19 turnovers during Tuesday's 74-50 loss at Clemson, which extended the team's losing streak to four games.

Donald Hand Jr., Boston College's leading scorer (14.4 ppg), did not score in 31 minutes of playing time against the Tigers, taking only three shots from the field.

The Eagles are 6-3 at home, but are last among ACC teams in scoring (67.9 ppg).

"I don't know if (the players) will panic or not -- I mean, as a staff, we won't panic," Boston College coach Earl Grant said when asked about his team's 0-4 conference start. "At the end of the day, today is going to be over in a couple of hours, and you got tomorrow. You got to get up, whether you win big or lose big, you gotta get up and go to work."

--Field Level Media