Syracuse Basketball vs. Notre Dame: 4 Keys to the Game

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Feb 24, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; The Syracuse Orange bench reacts in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Syracuse won 65-60. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

Syracuse basketball takes on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame tonight at 7 pm in the Carrier Dome. SU needs a win here to pad their NCAA tournament resume.

Yesterday we went over the Notre Dame roster and I talked about the impact of Notre Dame playing without Demetrius Jackson, their leading scorer, the #2 assist man in the ACC, and one of the most complete guards in the conference as well.

Today, we’re going to talk about the four main keys to the game for Syracuse basketball to pull out a win. Before we do that, let’s give a brief history of the series between the two schools. Tonight’s game will be the 47th matchup between these two teams. Syracuse currently leads the series 28-18, including winning six of the last seven.

All told, Syracuse is 15-5 against Notre Dame under their current coach, Mike Brey. For whatever reason, we have just had their number the last 15 years. It’s not like Notre Dame hasn’t had good teams either. Last year, they made it to the Elite Eight and were a basket away from upsetting Kentucky. Two years ago they were a top 15 team.

Regardless of why, Notre Dame has been SU’s whipping boy for the past 15 seasons and I hope that trend continues tonight. Though I must say, even with Demetrius Jackson out, this game will certainly not be a walk in the park.

So without further ado, here are the four keys to the game for Syracuse basketball.

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