Still time to get Kyle McCord to Berkeley
The Syracuse Orange (9-12, 3-7) are looking to end their three-game losing streak when they face the California Golden Bears (11-10, 4-6). Tip-off is tomorrow at 10:00 pm on ESPN2 and here’s what we’re predicting:
Kevin: Syracuse 73, California 71
Syracuse hasn’t put together a strong 40 minute performance in a while so I expect them to get closer to that tomorrow night. I think Cal is a team that the Orange can match up with and I think they find a way to grind out a close road win behind a bounce-back offensive night from JJ Starling.
Dom: California 81, Syracuse 70
Compared to the Stanford game, Syracuse should be able to have a slightly more efficient performance on offense. The main concern for me is on the defensive side. Cal’s offense two games ago just dropped 98 points on Miami and has had some (albeit inconsistent) scoring bursts against bad defenses. Considering Syracuse’s defensive rankings, the Golden Bears aren’t even an efficient outside shooting team but I could see the Orange lose a few players out on the perimeter and not force enough turnovers to take advantage of Cal’s conference-worst assist-to-turnover ratio ranking.
Szuba: Syracuse 72, Cal 70
The last three performances by Syracuse haven’t exactly lended themselves to faith that this team can win games. At the same time — other than the horrid start at Stanford — it’s not like the Orange was non-competitive in the two most recent games against better teams. Cal isn’t as good as Pitt or Stanford. The Golden Bears do not do much on the defensive end, so give me Syracuse to slightly edge Cal as Starling bounces back and Chris Bell finds rhythm in his home state.
Max: California 74, Syracuse 68
Throughout ACC play, these two teams have been similar statistically in all areas except one: turnovers. Cal’s offense protects the rock better than anyone in the conference, with a turnover percentage of just 12.7% per KenPom. While Syracuse’s defense is almost equally as bad at forcing turnovers (14% of possessions, third-worst ACC), the Orange offense gives it up on 19% of its trips (second-worst). Every possession matters, and these added mistakes will be the difference once again.
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Now it’s your turn