The Boston College Eagles shocked No. 1-ranked and undefeated Syracuse 62-59 in overtime Wednesday night at the Carrier Dome in the biggest upset of the men’s college basketball season.
Boston College (7-19, 3-10) played great defense to secure its third Atlantic Coast Conference victory of the season and also ended a five-game losing streak. Syracuse (25-1, 12-1) couldn’t overcome 32.3 percent shooting from the field.
The Eagles played one day after attending the funeral for longtime basketball media contact Dick Kelley, who died last week after a long battle with ALS. BC players wore a “DK” patch on their uniforms in honor of Kelley.
“The patch on our chests, toward the end of the game, it was like, ‘We can’t be denied. DK is looking down on us. He’s got us,’ ” Eagles forward Ryan Anderson said, via The Associated Press. “It’s real emotional. It’s really going to set in in a couple of hours.”
How improbable was BC’s victory? ESPN calculated that Syracuse had a 99 percent chance to win entering the game.
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Wichita State (27-0) is the only undefeated Division I men’s basketball team now that Syracuse has lost.
The Orange’s schedule doesn’t get any easier: They travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a showdown with No. 5 Duke on Saturday. The Eagles continue their road trip with a game against Miami on Saturday.
Photo via Twitter/5StarBasketball
