Syracuse Basketball: Next foe has played some tough teams really close

Syracuse basketball is slated to suit up in its first game in more than two weeks on Monday night, and the Orange will face an Ivy League foe that is pretty darn solid.

The ‘Cuse (5-5, 1-0) had its two most recent non-conference contests against Lehigh and Cornell postponed due to Covid protocols, and SU athletics-department officials have said that they will see if they can make up these encounters at some point. To that end, the Orange on Sunday announced a home date with Cornell scheduled for December 29.

Meanwhile, Syracuse basketball will now host Ivy League member Brown (8-5) at 6 pm on December 27, with the ACC Network providing television coverage.

Given that numerous Orange players had recently tested positive for Covid, according to media reports, and the team’s practice schedule hasn’t been as robust of late due to Covid protocols and the holidays, I could foresee the ‘Cuse squad being a tad rusty versus Brown, which is no cupcake, by the way.

Let’s take a closer look at the next Syracuse basketball opponent.

Brown doesn’t boast many super high-quality wins at this juncture, but the Bears have played some solid teams quite close, and I hope Syracuse basketball players aren’t taking Brown lightly.

Early in the 2021-22 campaign, the Bears fought hard at North Carolina, losing to the Tar Heels on the road by just seven points.

Brown has also fallen in tight match-ups to Colorado by two points, to Bryant by six points, and most recently to Vermont by five points.

While Orange head coach Jim Boeheim hasn’t relied too heavily on his bench of late, Brown spreads its offense around rather nicely, with eight players averaging at least five points per game.

The Bears aren’t a stellar shooting team, but they’re not awful, either. According to ESPN statistics, Brown connects on 43.9 percent from the field, 74.0 percent from the charity stripe and 32.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Without question, Syracuse basketball has faced a much more difficult schedule than the Bears. The ‘Cuse scores about five points more per contest than Brown, but the Bears allow 14 fewer points per affair (again, versus a less challenging 2021-22 docket to date).

Brown commits 13.6 turnovers per game, so Syracuse basketball should have some opportunities there for easy transition buckets, assuming the zone defense is active and alert.

All-time in their short series together, the Orange is 4-3 against the Bears, with their last duel occurring in the 1986 NCAA Tournament, a blow-out triumph for Syracuse basketball, per orangehoops.org.