Can the Orange make it two in a row?
The Syracuse Orange (11-13, 5-8) look to win their second game in a row as they travel south to take on the Miami Hurricanes (5-18, 1-11) tonight. The game will tip off at 7:00 on the ACC Network and here’s what we’re watching for:
Kevin: A strong start
The Orange enter off an emotional three overtime win over Boston College. It was a game they should have won in regulation (and lost in the 2nd OT) but they hung in and pulled out a win. Miami is reeling and getting them behind early would be a good plan. I’d like to see Syracuse force the ball inside to start and use that to open up some shots from outside.
Dom: Capitalize on the momentum
It wasn’t pretty against BC, but the job got done and now Syracuse really has a chance to build some actual stream if it can come out and finish business versus the Hurricanes. Miami (much to my dismay) is just pitiful this year, and up next for the Orange are two of the bigger tests of the year — at home versus UNC and on the road against Pitt. There’s a legit case to at least finish the season on a stronger note, and that starts with handling business against Miami and not giving up such an easy opportunity to add another win to the record.
Mike: More Choppa?
Elijah Moore had a very quiet January but is starting to get back into the rotation. Adrian Autry credited his strong first half in the win over BC (4/6, 3/3 for 11 points) and the Orange could certainly use a spark from him to at least have some threat from outside the arc. The U is notoriously bad at defending the three so this screams mismatch for Choppa to take advantage.
Szuba: Free offense
These two teams rank at the bottom of the ACC in scoring defense, but Miami is significantly worse by many measures. The Hurricanes rank No. 360 in the country in effective field goal percentage defense, No. 361 in 3-point percentage defense and No. 346 in 2-point percentage defense (KenPom). Expect the Syracuse offense to take it up another level behind Starling and Lampkin. The question is whether the Orange defense can do enough to quell Miami’s offense and get out of Watsco with a win.
Sam: TCOB
Basically, a combination of everything that everybody else has said will work for me. Syracuse has an opportunity to take care of business on the road against a bad basketball team, and there should be no room for dilly-dallying. The Hurricanes have won two games since November 20th, and have been blown out more than a handful of times – it’s a team that has Quit with a capital Q, as I’ve referred to it on my podcast. Don’t mess around, just get up early, stay ahead, and finish. Play a full 40.
Max: Don’t overlook the opponent
Despite all their flaws, the Hurricanes offense averages a respectable 75 points per game, which is just about average among ACC teams and slightly above the Orange (74.3). If Syracuse comes out flat on the road again (Stanford), don’t expect Miami to play down to its competition. The free-throw battle also heavily favors the home team (76.4% compared to SU’s 68.4%), so the Orange must dictate the pace and avoid a late-game foul fest.
*************************************************************************************************
What will you be watching for tomorrow night?