Syracuse basketball, on Monday night, has the chance to pick up its best victory of the 2022-23 season when the Orange travels to the Sunshine State for an Atlantic Coast Conference battle with Miami.
The ‘Cuse could really use a signature win for its resume. At this point, the Orange isn’t in the conversation for a potential invite to this spring’s Big Dance, because its non-conference strength of schedule proved so poor.
That being said, after taking down Notre Dame, 78-73, on the Hill this past Saturday night, Syracuse basketball (12-6, 5-2 in the ACC) has won two straight and nine of its last 11 encounters. In that meeting, the ‘Cuse received stellar performances from four of its freshmen players, along with senior center Jesse Edwards.
The dilemma for the Orange is that even though the team is 9-2 lately, many of its triumphs aren’t moving the needle much for the squad’s potential post-season resume. That all changes on Monday evening, however.
The No. 17 Hurricanes (14-3, 5-2) have been one of the ACC’s better groups to date in 2022-23, although Miami did lose in its most recent outing, an 83-81 overtime setback at N.C. State over the weekend.
Here’s a critical point. As these two conference teams collide, both Syracuse basketball and Miami sit at 5-2 in ACC competition. In fact, there are five squads presently residing at 5-2 in league play, good for No. 2 overall behind Clemson, which is a perfect 7-0 at this juncture.
I can’t stress enough how huge it would be if the ‘Cuse was able to knock off the Hurricanes on the road.
Syracuse basketball at No. 17 Miami odds
When I published this column, actionnetwork.com had installed the Orange as a 7.5-point betting underdog against the Hurricanes, with the over/under set at 149.5 points.
Syracuse basketball at No. 17 Miami prediction
Per SU Athletics, the ‘Cuse is 19-11 in its all-time series with the Hurricanes. Unfortunately, the Orange’s regular-season games with Miami in 2021-22 were a complete and utter disaster.
Both on the road and at home, Syracuse basketball had an 18-point lead over the Hurricanes, only to lose by three points in Central New York and by one point in the Sunshine State.
In delving into various statistics on the ESPN Web site, there are a lot of similarities between the Orange and Miami, with each squad holding slight edges here and there. The Hurricanes can score in droves, as they average 78.2 points per affair so far in 2022-23, which was No. 3 in the ACC at the time of this writing.
It’s worth noting that Miami can not only score, but it also does so efficiently. On Sunday, kenpom.com placed the Hurricanes at No. 11 across the country in adjusted offensive efficiency.
As far as Miami’s resume, its top-two victories are over Providence on a neutral floor and against then-No. 6 Virginia at home. The Hurricanes’ three setbacks are to Maryland at a neutral site, and then on the road to the aforementioned N.C. State as well as Georgia Tech.
When I wrote this piece, Miami was No. 39 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, and the Hurricanes are 10-0 on their own turf. Meanwhile, Syracuse basketball checks in at No. 117 in the NET ratings, and the Orange is 2-2 in true road contests.
To me, the ‘Cuse is playing pretty well of late, and I could see the Orange stunning the Hurricanes away from the JMA Wireless Dome. However, I’ll go with my head here and not my heart, forecasting Miami to come out on top.
Injuries, how to watch, live stream, next game
On the injury front, freshman big man Peter Carey is out for the rest of the 2022-23 season, Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has said. The 6-foot-11 Carey, a power forward/center, recently had a surgical procedure done on his right knee and is expected to take a medical redshirt this year, according to Boeheim.
We’ll certainly continue to monitor the injury front for the ‘Cuse in the current stanza.
The Orange and Miami will go toe to toe starting at 7 pm on Monday, Jan. 16, from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. The ACC Network will televise this game.
For Syracuse basketball and Hurricanes fans who want to stream this game, you can check it out on fuboTV.
After the ‘Cuse plays at Miami, Syracuse basketball will hit the road again. On Saturday, Jan. 21, beginning at 12 pm, the Orange will square off with Georgia Tech inside the McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta. TV coverage will be on ACC regional sports networks.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.