Syracuse Basketball: Iowa Hawkeyes crystal ball predictions

Neil Adler, contributor (6-1)

The Syracuse basketball squad is back in action after getting pummeled in New York City over the Thanksgiving holiday, as the Orange will host Iowa in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday evening from the Carrier Dome.

The ‘Cuse (4-3) didn’t perform at a terrific level in losing to Oklahoma State and Penn State, each by double digits, as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Now Syracuse will do battle with the Hawkeyes (5-2), a crew that on Nov. 29 blew a 16-point, first-half advantage before succumbing to San Diego State, 83-73, in the championship clash of the Las Vegas Invitational. Iowa and the Orange will commence their encounter beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Dec. 3, with ESPN2 providing television coverage.

At this juncture, odds-makers in Las Vegas are anointing the ‘Cuse as a four-point favorite, with ESPN’s Basketball Power Index saying that Syracuse has a 59.5 percent chance to prevail. Even with those projections, I have to admit that my confidence in the Orange, for the time being, isn’t high, not in the least.

There’s a lot of promise and talent found within the ‘Cuse roster, but Syracuse players are fairly inexperienced and young. Those traits clearly showed up in the Big Apple. For the Orange to best the Hawkeyes, the ‘Cuse absolutely must remain laser-focused in its 2-3 zone, crash the boards with determination, limit its careless miscues, and find a way to connect at a solid clip from beyond the arc.

I’m sure that a ton of Syracuse fans are already writing off the 2019-20 campaign for our beloved Orange, but there are still plenty of meetings left in the current stanza. The ‘Cuse has to take things one game at a time, and hopefully, a home crowd will provide a boost. Unfortunately, for me, I expect that Iowa will beat Syracuse in Central New York, by a final count of 73-68.