Syracuse Basketball Will Look To Weather The Hurricanes In The Dome

The Syracuse basketball team will continue its assault on the ACC when they welcome the Hurricanes into the Carrier Dome. Will they fare any better?

The Syracuse basketball team is lurking in troubled waters, and the Orange will attempt to save its sinking season when it squares off with Miami on Wednesday, Jan. 4, from the Carrier Dome.

SU’s current struggles are pretty much a cliché at this point, so we’ll focus here on the Hurricanes. Miami (11-2) comes in to this contest having claimed seven-straight victories.

Last time out, on Dec. 31, UM defeated N.C. State in its ACC opener, 81-63. Among the programs that Miami has taken down during its winning streak include Columbia, George Washington and Rutgers. The Hurricanes also own a neutral-site triumph of Stanford.

Miami’s two setbacks on the year are to No. 24 Florida and a solid Iowa State squad, both on neutral courts.

The Hurricanes and the Orange have a common opponent: Miami throttled North Florida, 94-56, on the road, while Syracuse had a big second-half lead at home over the Ospreys before holding on by six points.

That’s not a good sign.

In the latest AP and Coaches Polls released this past Monday, the Hurricanes are in the “others receiving votes” category.

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The ‘Cuse (8-6), meanwhile, traveled to Boston College on New Year’s Day and got blown out. The Eagles, in smoking Syracuse, 96-81, picked up their first conference victory in nearly two years.

In the main offensive departments, UM and SU are fairly even. The Hurricanes average 75 points per game, shoot 47 percent from the field, 72 percent from the free-throw line, and 36 percent from 3-point land.

The Orange, on the other hand, scores 77 points a game, while shooting 45 percent from the field, 66 percent from the charity stripe, and 39 percent from downtown.

Both teams haul in 40 rebounds per contest. Syracuse secures 18 assists each time out, and, somewhat surprising, Miami only doles out 12 dimes a game. Steals and blocks are nearly identical.

Ja’Quan Newton, a junior guard, paces the Hurricanes with almost 16 points per contest, and he is one of three players averaging double-figures.

Head coach Jim Boeheim and his staff know Newton well. They recruited the Philadelphia

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prospect several years ago, before Newton decided to take his talents to the South Florida region.

Another top-fight Orange target, five-star wing Lonnie Walker, announced in mid-November that he would join Miami for the 2017-18 season. He selected UM over Arizona, Kentucky, Syracuse and Villanova.

Nabbing Walker represented a huge recruiting achievement for head coach Jim Larranaga, who is in his sixth season at the Hurricanes helm. Larranaga, who previously guided George Mason on a magical run to the 2006 Final Four, took Miami to the Sweet 16 in the most recent NCAA Tournament.

The Hurricanes, who fell to the eventual national champions, Villanova, finished the 2015-16 campaign at 27-8 and tied for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 13-5 mark.

UM poses a tough match-up for SU, there’s no denying it. If Boeheim could rally his troops and snag a win against a formidable foe, that might go a long way toward turning this team around.