Inside the Loud House
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Here’s What The Syracuse Basketball Fans Are Saying About The Game Tonight

By Paul A. Esden Jr.

Feb 11, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Andrew White III (3) stretches on the court before playing the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. PITT won 80-75. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Andrew White III (3) stretches on the court before playing the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. PITT won 80-75. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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How confident are the Syracuse basketball fans feeling going into this game? Well we took a Twitter poll to check the pulse of the fan-base to find out!

This game tonight is as must win as you can get in college basketball. This is one of the fiercest rivalries in the sport and both teams want a win for different reasons.

Duke is just padding their already jam-packed resume. While the Orange are desperate to add some flavor to their bland pie.

While most SU fans take whatever ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi says with a grain of salt, you may want to feel a little better about this. Last night during the round of college basketball coverage, he said that if SU finds a way to beat Duke that they’re probably in.

Most prognosticators have said that two more wins should be just enough to get SU into the dance, but upon hearing this news I already broke into a mini-tango.

Easier said than done though. Duke is the hottest team in college basketball, they have won seven straight and they’re as talented as they come. So how does #OrangeNation feel heading into their biggest game of the season?

A resoundingly confident fan-base for a team that has lost three straight in the most pivotal point of their season. But according to numbers coming in, Syracuse should be getting north of 33,000 participants in tonight’s crowd.

On top of the fact the Orange have been dominant at home this season (14-2), perhaps the Orange should be confident.

Here are some things that have to happen: Tyler Lydon must score. He can’t go the entire first half without putting up any scoring.

SU must start fast, they can’t afford to put themselves in a hole and try to climb back. While they’ve made a propensity of doing it this season, they should just do whatever they do at the ends of games the entire time.

Tyus Battle strangely sat out for a six plus minute stretch against Georgia Tech, Battle may be

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young and somewhat raw, but he can score. While Andrew White’s 20-point scoring streak was snapped last Sunday, I would rather have efficiency.

Over his last four games he has shot a putrid 28-of-76 from the field (37%) and a horrid 14-of-48 from beyond the arc (29%). When SU has needed him most he has faltered during this losing streak.

Our Throwback Wednesday is the last time these two teams squared off and Tyler Roberson went off for 20+ rebounds in Cameron Indoor Stadium. If they could get half that effort tonight, I like SU’s chances.

One more player who needs to step up is the chosen one, John Gillon. He just looked rattled against the Yellow Jackets on Sunday and was unable to recover. While Jim Boeheim may say that Gillon is “10 miles ahead” of everyone else, he better start playing like it or the Orange are screwed.

While the two legendary coaches in tonight’s contest have combined for six national championships, nearly 2,000 wins, over 60 NCAA appearances, and have appeared in over 2,500 games.

Next: Syracuse Hosts Duke On Wednesday Night In Pivotal ACC Battle

It should be a really fun game tonight. There’s going to be a raucous crowd there supporting the Orange. Lets see what happens and hopefully we’ll be writing about punching our tickets to the dance after this contest.

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