Neil Adler (4-3)
Prediction: Syracuse wins 74-70
The Syracuse basketball squad looks to keep its winning streak going when the Orange hosts Northeastern on Tuesday night in what could prove quite a challenging match-up.
SU (5-2) has captured three-straight conquests, including a close victory this past weekend against Cornell inside the Carrier Dome. However, following the Big Red affair, head coach Jim Boeheim said he was disappointed in his roster’s performance, particularly because this lackluster showing occurred only a few days after the ‘Cuse defeated nationally ranked Ohio State on the road.
The Northeastern Huskies (4-4), out of the Colonial Athletic Association, are a solid 2-1 so far in the 2018-19 campaign away from their own turf, including an impressive success at Harvard, as well as a neutral-site crushing of Alabama.
In its most-recent game, on Dec. 1, Northeastern smoked Eastern Michigan. All in all, the Huskies are a formidable foe for Syracuse, and the Orange better come ready to play. Odds-makers out in Las Vegas currently anoint SU a 10.5-point favorite, while ESPN.com’s match-up predictor says that the ‘Cuse has a 82.6 percent chance of prevailing. Northeastern is a more proficient unit in terms of shooting, while Syracuse gets the edge defensively. I foresee an extremely tight battle, with the Orange barely sneaking by the Huskies, 74-70.