Syracuse Basketball: Oakland Golden Grizzlies crystal ball predictions

Paul A. Esden Jr, Site Expert (4-6)

Will the real Syracuse basketball team please stand up?

On one hand, the Orange drop 97 vs Georgia Tech. On another night they drop 34 vs Virginia. Then sprinkle in plenty of disappointment between and BOOM you have this year’s Orange squad.

After the latest loss to Georgetown Syracuse has three imminently winnable games vs creampuffs in Oakland, North Florida, and Niagara. It’s obvious that the Orange must handle business not only winning these games but figuring out what exactly their lineup and rotation will look like heading into conference play.

Vs Oakland, they’ll have to worry about two big men who have a propensity for collecting rebounds at an alarmingly high rate in Xavier Hill-Mais and Daniel Oladapo.

The pair have combined to shoot over 26 points per game, nearly 15 boards per contest, and a consistent presence in the middle.

The x-factor for this game for the Orange is simple, pack the 2-3 zone and clog the middle and force Oakland to attempt long-range attempts. We got a chance to speak with coach Kampe and he said himself his team “sucks” from deep and can’t hit shots.

Although everything is lining up for Oakland to start randomly hitting perimeter shots and beating Syracuse. But I think Syracuse comes out with the necessary energy from playing at home and will run away with this one.

Syracuse 74 Oakland 62