Syracuse basketball at Notre Dame odds, prediction and how to watch

Syracuse basketball is in a bad place at this point in the young 2022-23 season, as the Orange has lost three in a row and just got crushed in the team’s final ACC-Big Ten Challenge game ever.

What’s more, the ‘Cuse will open its Atlantic Coast Conference competition this Saturday afternoon by heading to Notre Dame, in a league clash that is likely to prove tricky for the Orange.

Syracuse basketball, which endured its first losing campaign under head coach Jim Boeheim a stanza ago when the team went 16-17 overall, is yet again under the .500 mark, at 3-4 to date in 2022-23, although the present term obviously has many more games remaining in it.

Now, the Orange hung tough in falling to St. John’s in overtime at the 2022 Empire Classic in New York City, and Syracuse basketball also lost to Bryant on a last-second shot. But this past Tuesday night, at No. 16 Illinois in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the ‘Cuse got absolutely smoked by the Fighting Illini (6-1).

The Orange kept things close on the road for much of the first half, but after the intermission, Illinois finally got its offense in gear, and the ‘Cuse continued to struggle when it was on offense. The result was a 73-44 blowout victory by the Fighting Illini over Syracuse basketball, which dropped to 4-6 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, an annual event that is ending this week.

Senior shooting guard Joe Girard III is nowhere to be found. Freshman point guard Judah Mintz was awful versus Illinois. Senior center Jesse Edwards has been a beast on the glass lately, but he can’t avoid foul trouble. And head coach Jim Boeheim seems to be still figuring out what rotations will work best for this squad.

I knew there would be growing pains for a 2022-23 roster that includes six freshmen, as well as eight underclassmen among its 12 scholarship players. But through seven games, Syracuse basketball has wins over Richmond, Lehigh and Northeastern.

Conversely, the ‘Cuse has fallen to Colgate, St. John’s, Bryant and now Illinois. Not good at all.

Syracuse basketball at Notre Dame odds

On Saturday morning, actionnetwork.com had installed the Fighting Irish as a seven-point betting favorite, with the over/under set at 134.5 points.

Syracuse basketball at Notre Dame prediction

In their all-time series together, the Orange leads the Fighting Irish by a count of 31-23. That being said, during the 2021-22 stanza, Notre Dame defeated the ‘Cuse at home this past February, 79-69.

So far in the 2022-23 season, the Fighting Irish (6-1) doesn’t have a ton of marquee triumphs, but at the same time, it does have a much better record than the Orange. Plus, this past Wednesday night in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, Notre Dame crushed No. 20 Michigan State, 70-52.

To date in the 2022-23 stanza, the Fighting Irish’s only setback was to St. Bonaventure by 12 points on Notre Dame’s own turf.

One player within the Fighting Irish line-up whom many Syracuse fans will remember is freshman guard J.J. Starling. The 6-foot-4 Starling, a Central New York native, was a five-star prospect in the 2022 class who had the ‘Cuse in his top five before selecting Notre Dame.

Starling is off to a strong start in his freshman campaign with the Fighting Irish. Head coach Mike Brey has a 2022-23 line-up that some national pundits deem as a potential contender for a bid to next spring’s NCAA Tournament.

As is often the case with Brey-led squads, Notre Dame takes care of the ball and doesn’t turn it over a whole lot. Additionally, while the Fighting Irish isn’t dominant on the boards, Notre Dame does shoot well from the field, from beyond the arc, and at the charity stripe.

Given that this ACC clash is on the road for Syracuse basketball, I’ll go with the Fighting Irish to conquer the ‘Cuse. I simply don’t have any confidence in the Orange at this juncture in 2022-23.

Injuries, how to watch, live stream, next game
On the injury front, I’m not aware of any significant injuries to note as the Orange aims to halt its present three-game slide. Certainly, we’ll stay on top of this topic throughout the current term.

In its first ACC encounter of 2022-23, Syracuse basketball will tip off at the Fighting Irish beginning at 12 pm on Saturday, Dec. 3, from the Purcell Pavilion in Notre Dame, Ind. ESPN2 is airing this game.

For Syracuse basketball and Fighting Irish fans who want to stream this game, you can check it out on fuboTV.

After the Orange’s collision with Notre Dame, the ‘Cuse will revert back to the non-conference portion of its 2022-23 calendar. On Tuesday, Dec. 6, starting at 6 pm, Syracuse basketball will host Horizon League member Oakland at the JMA Wireless Dome. The ACC Network will provide television coverage here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.