It’s finally Syracuse Basketball season, here’s what to watch tonight
After a seven month hiatus, the Syracuse basketball team gets back underway tonight in exhibition play. ITLH breaks down what to watch out for tonight.
Everyone has been asking us in comments and social media, ‘is it basketball season yet’? Yes it finally is time for Syracuse basketball.
Despite the fact the football team has never seemed to be healthier with a .500 record in the midst of a thrilling campaign with Dino Babers at the helm. Heck this team got one of the biggest wins in recent program memory over Clemson a couple weeks back. Plus they have a huge ACC tilt against Florida State this Saturday.
Yet fans seem more excited for this exhibition game against Southern New Hampshire, go figure.
It’s been seven plus months since the last time we saw the Orange on a basketball court for a game. With that a lot has happened since then for the Cuse.
SU lost four starters from last season. Specifically they surprisingly lost promising sophomore Taurean Thompson who showed juicy offensive potential. Now he’s on Seton Hall after the
More from Inside the Loud House
- Syracuse Football: Cuse boils Purdue, turns attention to Army on Saturday
- Syracuse football only team in country with top-5 scoring offense, defense
- Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Elijah Moore not in top 100, and I don’t get that
- Syracuse basketball 4-star west-coast recruit, in new rankings, into top 20
- Syracuse basketball is hitting D.C. market hard in pursuit of 4-stars, 5-stars
strange affair that took place in late August.
But lets turn the page to tonight. The competition is obviously inferior and will be for these two exhibition games against Southern New Hampshire and Southern Connecticut State. Then the real season gets underway November 10th against Cornell.
So it’s not about wins or losses or margin of victory, it’s about seeing the chemistry of this unit and who takes over the offensive void left by Thompson. I think until proven otherwise it has to be Tyus Battle.
After averaging just over 11 points per contest last season, SU is going to expect this cat to double that. Whether fair or not, that’s the expectation.
I’m excited about some of the new pieces making their official/unofficial debut tonight in: Oshae Brissett, Geno Thorpe, Howard Washington, Marek Dolezaj, and Bourama Sidibe.
The Canadian sensation Brissett will be an exciting addition, Thorpe is a grad-transfer and hopefully he can bring half the magic that John Gillon and Andrew White brought. Marek Dolezaj is another foreigner who brings a different flavor to the team. Sidibe brings size and the Orange need plenty of that, especially defensively.
Plus there’s the intrigue with some of the returning faces. We mentioned Battle already in terms of the next step in his development. But there’s more. I feel like one of those infomercials.
Frank Howard who got Scoop Jardine comparisons from head coach Jim Boeheim, which I agree with by the way, is trying to realize his true potential. Speaking of potential, Paschal Chukwu is chock full of it. A 7’2 frame that is idealistic for the center of the 2-3 zone. Unfortunately he’s perceived as a raw player who is coming off serious eye surgery.
Next: Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History
While finally Matthew Moyer who was redshirted last year, which was a blessing in disguise, adds some much needed punch to this Orange unit hoping to make a splash this season. So despite the lackluster opponent, there are plenty of reasons to watch this game online tonight or go to the Carrier Dome in person.