Syracuse basketball will play its final regular-season game vs Miami on Saturday. Here are our full predictions + preview of top x-factors.
After a long and arduous 2019-20 campaign, it all comes to a regular-season conclusion for the Syracuse basketball team vs Miami on Saturday afternoon at the Watsco Center.
The Orange are 17-13 overall and 10-9 in the ACC so far this season. Syracuse has won three out of its last four games and are looking to build some momentum and secure their seeding in the conference tournament next week.
While the Hurricanes are slumping after losing three straight games. Miami is a game under .500 overall at 14-15 and sits at 6-13 in ACC play.
This game is considered a 50-50 contest. The ESPN BPI Analytics barely gives the Orange the edge (50.8 percent chance of winning). While Vegas leans towards Syracuse with a -1 point edge.
Both the Orange and the Hurricanes are unlikely to make the big dance unless they win the ACC Tournament, which makes this a very interesting game.
Here are our full crystal ball predictions and a preview of the top x-factors for this pivotal ACC contest.
Paul A. Esden Jr, Site Expert (16-14)
It’s crazy to think that the 2019-20 Syracuse basketball regular season comes to a close on Saturday evening vs Miami.
This is a final opportunity for the Orange to end the season on a positive note. Also, there’s a piece of meat hanging in front of this team on the treadmill, if they beat the Hurricanes they’ll clinch the No. 5 seed in the ACC Tournament.
While no game is easy, especially in this specific crazy season, this matchup vs Miami is ideal for Syracuse.
The Hurricanes struggle to rebound, they’re in a funk, and their best player may not even suit up.
Chris Lykes is a talented 5-foot-7, 157-pound guard but got gurt in the last game and his status is murky. If he’s unable to go it’s hard to imagine any way that Miami can pull this off.
Elijah Hughes is rolling, Bourama Sidibe has been unstoppable on the inside, and this seems like an ideal matchup for Joe Girard III to get going offensively.
The Hurricanes have had an awful season mired in injuries and NCAA violations that have stunted the team’s recruiting and ceiling.
This game shouldn’t be particularly close and the home-court advantage will likely be neutralized by a strong Syracuse contingent.
Orange win 70 to 60 over Miami.
Joe Arrigo, contributor (21-9)
As Syracuse enters their final game of the regular season with not too much on the line. The Orange are clearly not going to receive an at large bid in the NCAA tournament unless they go out and win the ACC tournament in Greensboro next week.
However, Syracuse can use this game against the Hurricanes to try out different plays and lineups that could use next week. It’s irrelevant if Syracuse wins this game, but if they use it as a good practice for the conference tournament, then it’s a win no matter what is on the scoreboard.
As for the game against Miami specifically, I see Syracuse winning fairly easily because of the urgency that they are feeling. Miami is not that great of an opponent, but winning a game on the road is never easy. Syracuse will bring their focus and use this as some positive momentum into next week.
FINAL SCORE
SYRACUSE 74 Miami 59
Mat Mlodzinski, contributor (17-13)
Syracuse – 82, Miami – 68
Last time out, the Syracuse Orange were able to get a wire to wire win over Boston College, improving their record to 17-13 (10-9). The win also locked up a 50th consecutive winning season for Syracuse, the longest streak in the country.
The ‘Cuse still has one more game to play before the ACC Tournament, which is against a Miami Hurricanes team that has struggled a lot this season.
The ‘Canes are 14-15 (6-13) and have really struggled on defense, allowing almost 75 points per contest, good for 286th in the nation according to ESPN.com. With Chris Lykes, they have options to score the ball, but it’s a lot of 1-on-1 within the game, as Miami doesn’t even average 10 assists a game as a team, which is just a few spots away from LAST in the country.
Again, Lykes is a scorer, but his height compromises his ability to defend, leaving Joe Girard III as a good option to score the ball. Girard has a few inches on Lykes, which is one of the few players he will be able to say that against all season long. Thus, it could be a game where Girard can find more open looks than usual, perhaps putting him in play for a very big game from deep.
As a team, Syracuse’s defense should alter the ‘Canes, while the Orange have more than enough options to really torch a bad Miami defense. Not only that, but there is some incentive to finish ACC play above .500, and earn another win as Syracuse will need everything it can get to make it’s resume as best as possible for ‘Selection Sunday’. It starts with a win over Miami.
Chris Queripel, contributor (22-8)
Syracuse has one more game to show their abilities in the regular season. The game against Miami is vital to determine seeding in the ACC tournament.
First, let’s take a look at recent success for Syracuse in their last game. Against Boston College, ‘Cuse won 84-71. Elijah Hughes dazzled adding 28 points while Buddy Boeheim contributed 21. I expect Hughes to close out the season with a stellar performance.
Before the league tourney, Hughes has another chance to impress NBA scouts. It’s time for him to pad his draft stock if he decides to leave, and now is a perfect time for him to shine. This game is also an opportunity for the defense to stand out. The Hurricanes are among the worst passing teams in the NCAA.
On top of that, they struggle to convert three-pointers and have no real presence on the glass. Look for Syracuse to dominate defensively and turn that defense into offense. Miami is at the bottom of the ACC with only six league victories this year.
Coming into this game the Orange needs to focus on a few things.
First is getting all their players on the right track. Specifically, Joe Girard needs to be a viable threat on the scoresheet once again. In the past two games, he hasn’t reached double-digit scoring. After that, Syracuse should run the offense through their bigs. With Bourama Sidibe becoming a legitimate paint presence then that opens up the entire floor.
Overall Syracuse needs to keep doing what they have been lately. In the end, Elijah Hughes is going to have a top-notch performance as well as making his teammates shine. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hughes closes in on 30 points in this game. I see the Orange topping the Hurricanes in this one. Give me ‘Cuse 78-70 over Miami.
Neil Adler, contributor (20-10)
The Syracuse basketball squad wraps up its 2019-20 regular season when the Orange makes a trip to the Sunshine State to square off with Miami this Saturday afternoon.
The ‘Cuse (17-13, 10-9), in its last outing, went to Boston College and throttled the Eagles by 13 points. As far as the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament goes, should Syracuse conquer the Hurricanes (14-15, 6-13), the Orange will clinch the No. 5 seed in that event, which begins next week. Miami, meanwhile, is presently in a three-way tie for 12th place in the league standings, after the Hurricanes fell in heart-breaking fashion earlier this week, at home, to a ranked Virginia crew by two points.
This encounter between the ‘Cuse and Miami will get going at 4:00 p.m. from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., with the ACC Network providing television coverage. Syracuse has fared extremely well away from the Hill in conference clashes to date.
As such, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that the Orange possesses a 50.5 percent chance to prevail. The Hurricanes, to put it bluntly, have struggled in 2019-20.
From a statistical perspective, Miami averages 71.5 points per meeting and allows 73.7 points, which is among the worst in the ACC. The Hurricanes connect on 43.3 percent from the field, a strong 75.6 percent from the charity stripe and 31.8 percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, Miami secures 34.2 rebounds, a sub-par 9.9 assists, 3.8 blocks and 5.9 steals a game, while committing 12.1 turnovers.
The ‘Cuse holds an advantage versus the Hurricanes in virtually every data department, so Syracuse has an excellent shot to come out on top. I don’t foresee scoring as an issue for the Orange, but the ‘Cuse better tighten up its 2-3 zone. Ultimately, Syracuse is the more talented team, and the Orange will notch another success outside of Central New York, besting Miami by a count of 77-70.
Ryan Lee, contributor (22-8)
The regular-season finale for the Orange down in Miami. The Orange have an opportunity to close out the regular season as the five seed in the ACC Tournament. The Orange have another winnable game in the ACC, but just a week ago they proved that does not mean this is a foregone conclusion.
Miami is towards the bottom of the conference just like UNC was a week prior. The hurricanes really only have one quality win on the year. That was against Illinois in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in December.
The Hurricanes even though they have struggled, it has not come on the back of underclassmen such as teams like Pittsburgh. Only two freshmen, Isaiah Wong and Harlond Beverly average more than 20 minutes and have played more than 25 games on the year.
Chris Lykes is the leading scorer. The 5-foot-7 junior guard has only played in 25 games this year but leads the team as a solid three-point shooter (37%). More than a third of his shots this season have come from beyond the arch.
Lykes’ ability to find three-point shots will be a challenge for the Orange. If Miami is able to move the ball and Lykes is able to get lost in open spots like teams have done against the Orange on numerous occasions, the regular season might end poorly for the Orange.
Luckily for Syracuse, Miami is not a team that moves the ball with the pass very often, especially in the half-court. The Hurricanes only average 9.9 assist a game while their opponents have tallied almost 200 more against them and average 15.5
Syracuse as a team is not going to light it up with their own assist numbers, but even in a down year for their defense, it can clog down other team’s offense. This could be an opportunity for the Orange to make a needed step with their defense and to take out the Hurricanes and get confidence going into the ACC Tournament.
Syracuse 70 Miami 61
Josh Peelman, contributor (16-14)
Syracuse enters its last game of the regular season against Miami feeling pretty good after a decent win over BC on the road.
The Orange needs to carry the momentum from the last game into this one because it’s another hard environment to play in at Coral Gables. The Orange will need to look to Buddy Boeheim, Elijah Hughes, and Joe Girard to hit outside shots.
The Hurricanes aren’t known to defend the three-ball well this year so the Orange needs to hit their shots and put this game away early. If the Orange interior can rebound well on both sides of the ball, then this one may not be close.
The Orange are the superior team here all-around so if they lose they can only blame themselves. I see the Orange winning 79-63 in a blowout victory. Let’s go Orange!