Syracuse basketball, which survived a three-overtime thriller at home over the weekend to notch a win against Boston College, hits the road early this week to face the worst team in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
After getting crushed by top-five Duke on the Hill last Wednesday night, the Orange hosted the Eagles this past Saturday. The 'Cuse missed some untimely free throws to seal the deal in regulation, but I credit Syracuse basketball players for hanging tough and gutting out a 95-86 victory versus Boston College, in three overtimes, at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Now, this Tuesday evening, the Orange will travel to the Sunshine State to battle Miami, a group that was projected to finish at No. 6 in the league standings, per the ACC's preseason media poll. However, the Hurricanes have mightily struggled in the 2024-25 season, and in late December of last year, long-time head coach Jim Larrañaga, who guided Miami to a 2023 Final Four appearance, announced that he was stepping down, effective immediately.
Over its past 12 contests, the Hurricanes are just 1-11. The 'Cuse, in its last 10 affairs, is 5-5, and the Orange will be without injured freshman power forward Donnie Freeman for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign, the team announced on X just before its ACC clash with Boston College in Central New York over the weekend.
Statement from the men's basketball program regarding freshman forward Donnie Freeman pic.twitter.com/rhFBd2Sxm5
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) February 8, 2025
How to watch Syracuse basketball at Miami.
The Orange (11-13, 5-8 in the ACC) and the Hurricanes (5-18, 1-11 in the ACC) are scheduled to tip off at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. This ACC encounter will air on the ACC Network, with live-streaming coverage also available on FuboTV.
Per SU Athletics, Syracuse basketball is 20-12 in its all-time series with Miami, including an exciting 72-69 home victory over the Hurricanes in January of 2024. Entering this game, the Orange has an NCAA NET ranking of No. 146 overall, as compared to No. 225 for the Hurricanes, making this a quadrant-three chance for Syracuse basketball.
To date in 2024-25, the 'Cuse is 2-5 in true road affairs, having defeated both Boston College and California on the road.
So far this term, Miami has beaten Fairleigh Dickinson, Binghamton, Coppin State, Presbyterian and Notre Dame. On the flip side, the Hurricanes have fallen to Drake, Oklahoma State, VCU, Charleston Southern, Arkansas, Clemson, Tennessee, Mount St. Mary's, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Wake Forest, Duke, SMU, Stanford, Cal, Virginia and Louisville.
When I wrote this article, Syracuse basketball and Miami had the two worst defenses in the ACC, as it relates to points allowed per game. The Orange has a sizable edge in rebounds per contest. The programs shoot about the same from the field and 3-point land, while the Hurricanes are much better from the charity stripe.