Syracuse Basketball: Oakland Golden Grizzlies crystal ball predictions

Mat Mlodzinski, contributor (5-5)

Syracuse – 79, Oakland – 65

The Syracuse Orange haven’t had the season they would like. At 5-5, their best win is over a sub-par Georgia Tech team. The Orange also went 0-2 in a Thanksgiving tournament at the Barclays Center, while dropping one to big-time rival Georgetown last week.

Now, Syracuse just needs to find ways to improve and get better. Oakland is a good chance.

The Golden Grizzlies are 5-6 and aren’t a powerhouse by any means. However, they still have some wins, which shows that they aren’t scrubs either.

They can also play very solid defense, only allowing a little above 64 points per game. However, they struggled to score the ball, only putting up around 63 a game.

This will give Syracuse a chance to put up numbers against a good defense, while most likely not having to worry about giving up much in return.

In recent weeks, Elijah Hughes and Buddy Boeheim have been the best contributors. I’d like to see the post players give the Orange something. Marek Dolezaj really hasn’t had a great season, while Quincy Guerrier, Bourama Sidibe, and Jesse Edwards haven’t provided much offense at all.

If Syracuse can get one of them going, it would be huge for the season. Regardless, this should still be a win, putting them at 6-5 for the season.