The Syracuse basketball team plays their first game of the season against Virginia on Wednesday night. Inside The Loud House gets you ready with what you need to know to be able to watch and listen to the game.
Syracuse basketball is back and it’s about time too! Syracuse football has been atrocious this year and has fallen short of so many expectations, making people crave basketball season again.
The good news is this team is super talented, but the bad news is that it lacks experience. Which will win out? Who knows? One thing is for sure though: the opener against Virginia is on Wednesday night which should give us a lot of answers to our burning questions.
As mentioned, this Syracuse basketball team is young, and that means lots of freshmen. In fact, the 2019 class has five incoming freshmen this year:
- Quincy Guerrier, a 6-foot-7 Canadian basketball forward who has NBA level skills already. Can post up on offense or shoot from long range.
- Joe Girard III: a combo guard who is New York State’s All-Time Leading scorer. He was a bit underrated coming out of high school but is a talented scorer both off the dribble as well as from outside.
- John Bol Ajak: a 6-foot-10 center who can block shots and has decent skills offensively around the rim. He is raw but could develop to be a force in the middle of the 2-3 zone given time.
- Brycen Goodine: a shooting guard who can shoot really well. He has great length and is the highest-rated player in this year’s class, according to ESPN.com. (Guerrier isn’t ranked)
- Jesse Edwards: a 6-foot-11 forward/center who is good offensively in the post, but is still raw on defense. He can block and alter shots with his length but is still foul prone. He is a developmental player but could be really good over time.
These five will be joined by point guard Jalen Carey, shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, small forward Elijah Hughes, forward/center Marek Dolezej, forward/center Bourama Sidibe, small/power forward Robert Braswell, and point guard Howard Washington.
So what should we expect?
The expectations for this Syracuse basketball team are very mixed. Some experts have said a lack of experience will keep the Orange out of the NCAA Tournament, while others think this team is more talented than it is being given credit for.
Hughes looks like Syracuse’s go-to-guy this season and should handle the scoring load night in and night out. Carey looks like a star in the making at the point, if he makes the sophomore jump in the offseason that we hope he did and limits turnovers this year.
Boeheim looks like a heck of a player who is shooting lights out so far, and incoming freshman Guerrier looks like a more polished version of Oshae Brissett, albeit less athleticism in some areas. Braswell could be a good option off the bench if this team needs scoring from the forward position this year and isn’t getting what it needs.
Dolezaj is expected to have an increased roll on offense as a junior, and Washington has been with the team long enough to know how to run the second unit well when Carey takes a seat. Not to mention, the Orange are blessed with Goodine, who from all looks of it is a heck of shooter inside and outside the arc, which just gives Boeheim even more options to turn to on Syracuse’s bench this season. Depth is not a bad thing, it’s a good thing, and Syracuse finally has it this year.
Virginia, on the other hand, the reigning national champions, lost a lot of veterans to the NBA and graduation last year. No longer with the team are stars Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, De’Andre Hunter, and Jack Salt. Their returning cast though it’s still one of the best on the nation. It should come as no surprise then that they are ranked No. 11 to start the season, according to ESPN.com.
Among key returnees for the Cavaliers is capable sophomore point guard Kihei Clark, defensive-minded guard/forward Braxton Key, forward star in the making Mamadi Diakite, and 7-foot-1 center Jay Huff. All of these guys are not go to guys yet and are all great role players, but I’m sure that will develop more over the course of the season.
Clark is a capable passer, decent three-point shooter, and can drive to the rim. He’s not known as a scorer though at this stage. Key is not a big-time scorer either but is a great one on one defender.
Huff is tall like Jack Salt was and can get open and hit from three on the perimeter, but still has a lot of work to do to develop his post-up game as well as below the rim. He can defend well enough and can block shots, but he’s raw and does not move his feet well at this stage, leaving him closing out late and get fouls rather than should be blocked.
Diakite, on the other hand, is a future NBA talent and is good both defensively and offensively. He can post up, shoot it, block shots, whatever you need from him. His one flaw is that he’s still very thin, but in college, forwards can get away with that a bit more, especially with the length and height advantage he often has.
So how can I watch or listen to the game?
The game will be shown on ACC Network Wednesday, November 6th at 9:00 p.m. and can also be seen on the WatchESPN app, but you will need a cable subscription with ACC Network included to watch the game. The good news if you can’t make it to the game (in person) or watch it online/through the app is that the Orange basketball game will also air on the radio.
You can listen in on Syracuse’s IMG Sports Network at TK 99.5/105 FM and on Cuse.com under the listen tab on the Syracuse Basketball schedule page, according to Cuse.com. For the rest of the game info you need to know check out the details, per Cuse.com below. Let’s Go Orange!
Game Info
Who’s Playing: Syracuse and No. 11 Virginia
Where: Carrier Dome
Gametime: Wednesday, November 6th at 9:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ACC Network
Online Stream: Watch ESPN app
Radio: 99.5 FM/105 FM (TK-99), WAER 88.3 FM, and Cuse.com
Up Next for Syracuse: Wednesday, November 13th at 7:00 p.m. ET vs Colgate