Neil Adler (2-2)
Prediction: Syracuse wins 74-59
The Syracuse basketball squad seeks to right its ship when the Orange hosts Colgate this Wednesday night inside the Carrier Dome. SU (2-2), which fell out of the AP top-25 poll on Monday afternoon, took a beating at the 2K Empire Classic last Thursday and Friday evenings.
Despite a huge crowd supporting the ‘Cuse, Syracuse got drilled pretty decisively against both Connecticut and Oregon. Getting senior point guard Frank Howard back in the line-up would surely help, but SU’s issues on offense and within its 2-3 zone go beyond just seeing Howard on the court.
In its duels versus the Huskies and the Ducks, the Orange shot dreadful from downtown, it got massively outrebounded, and its pair of opponents picked apart the ‘Cuse defense with relative ease. I feel like there’s no sense of urgency with the current Syracuse crew, and the grit and hustle that defined this group a season ago must return, or the 2018-19 campaign could prove extremely painful.
The Raiders (3-1), out of the Patriot League, are next up for SU, and Colgate is a foe that the ‘Cuse knows quite well. In fact, throughout the history of the Syracuse hoops program, the Orange has gone toe to toe with the Raiders more than any other team. SU holds a massive edge in the all-time series, and that advantage should continue. While Colgate is averaging an impressive 80 points per contest so far in the present term, it hasn’t faced any units similar to Syracuse. The Orange lands back in the win column, besting the Raiders, 74-59.