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Syracuse Basketball To Clash With Ole Miss, For First Time Ever, In NIT Match-Up

By Neil Adler

Jan 7, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; General view of the new arena before the game at The Pavilion at Ole Miss between the Mississippi Rebels and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Mississippi Rebels defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide 74-66. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; General view of the new arena before the game at The Pavilion at Ole Miss between the Mississippi Rebels and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Mississippi Rebels defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide 74-66. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports /
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Syracuse Basketball advanced to the NIT second round by beating UNC Greensboro at home in the Dome Wednesday night. Inside the Loud House previews our next opponent on the path to a NIT Championship.

It’s an ACC-SEC battle in the NIT’s second round, as Syracuse hosts Mississippi this Saturday at 11 am, with the contest to air on ESPN. Here’s a quick recap of the UNC Greensboro game on Wednesday if you missed it from TWCnews.com:

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The Orange (19-14), the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, defeated No. 8 seed UNC-Greensboro, 90-77, on Wednesday night according to ESPn.com. Ole Miss (21-13), meanwhile, a No. 5 seed, went on the road Tuesday evening and beat Monmouth, a No. 4 seed, 91-83.

We should note here that on November 18, 2016, SU crushed Monmouth, 71-50, at the Carrier Dome.

Saturday’s brunch-style affair between the ‘Cuse and the Rebels will mark the first time that these two schools have ever faced off in men’s basketball, according to Orangehoops.org.

Ole Miss’s Resume:

Ole Miss wrapped up the 2016-17 regular stanza at 20-13, and 10-8 in the SEC, where it tied for fifth in the conference standings. Syracuse, as we all know, notched an 18-14 mark before the NIT commenced, going 10-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and ending in a tie for seventh.

The Rebels don’t have a particularly impressive resume, although every one of their 13 setbacks came to a team inside the RPI top 100, according to the CBS Sports web site. Mississippi, furthermore, played highly ranked foes like Baylor, Creighton, Florida and Kentucky extremely close.

In this term, Ole Miss notched quality victories on the road versus Vanderbilt, and at home against South Carolina – the same Gamecocks group that dismantled the Orange in the non-conference slate.

Mississippi Rebels head coach is in his 11th year with the team. Andy KennedyMandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Mississippi Rebels head coach is in his 11th year with the team. Andy KennedyMandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

Andy Kennedy is in his 11th year with the Rebels, according to OleMissSports.com. During his tenure there, he’s never endured a losing season, which is a pretty strong achievement. He’s made the Big Dance twice, and presently Kennedy’s appearing in his sixth NIT.

Before coming to Mississippi, he led Cincinnati in 2005-06. Ironically, the last instance when Kennedy dueled with Boeheim at the Dome occurred in 2006. The end result wasn’t great for Syracuse.

Team Comparisons

Syracuse is averaging 76 points per game, along with 35 rebounds, 16 assists, eight steals, five blocks and 12 turnovers. The Orange shoots 46 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point land and 74 percent from the free-throw line. These statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com.

Syracuse vs. Ole Miss
Jan 11, 2017; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Sebastian Saiz is someone Syracuse will have to keep in check. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports /

The Rebels, on the other hand, put up 78 points, collect 40 boards, dish out 13 dimes, snag seven thefts, block four shots and commit 14 turnovers. Mississippi connects on 42 percent from the field, 35 percent from downtown and a stellar 75 percent from the charity stripe.

Also, Ole Miss not only hits at a high clip from the free-throw line, but it also gets to the charity stripe a ton – 903 attempts, as compared to 667 for the ‘Cuse, according to ESPN.com. It’s imperative that our boys limit their careless fouls.

Three guys on the Rebels roster generate at least 10 points a contest. This stat is especially relevant because Senior Sebastian Saiz averages a double-double, at 15 points and 11 boards. Thus, he will prove a significant challenge to contain within the 2-3 zone.

What the Orange must Do To Win:

This encounter with Mississippi is by no means an easy task. Therefore, Sophomore Tyler Lydon, senior Tyler Roberson, freshman Taurean Thompson and graduate transfer Andrew White III must effectively sweep the glass.

In addition, starting point guard and fellow grad transfer John Gillon, freshman Tyus Battle and sophomore Frank Howard have to take care of the rock. Similar to the UNC-Greensboro tilt, Syracuse needs another solid shooting effort.

Furthermore, since this match-up is on a Saturday, I’m hopeful that the crowd will exceed the 4,288 that showed up versus the Spartans. The Orange seems to fuel off a boisterous pro-SU crowd, which has helped propel it to a 17-3 performance in Central New York.

Next: Syracuse Basketball: Trading March Madness For Tyus Battle

Let’s hope that this clear-cut, home-court advantage carries the ‘Cuse to a conquest over the Rebels!

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