Syracuse basketball is a sizable betting underdog, according to odds-makers, as the Orange prepares to face SMU in Dallas on Tuesday evening.
At the time of this writing, FanDuel had the 'Cuse as a 12.5-point betting underdog against the Mustangs in this Atlantic Coast Conference showdown, with the over/under currently residing at 154.5 points.
By extension, ESPN Analytics gives SMU (21-8, 12-6 in the ACC) an overwhelming 83.7 percent chance to knock off the Orange at home on Tuesday night. The Mustangs, at this juncture, are tied with North Carolina for fourth place in the ACC standings, while Syracuse basketball is in a three-way tie for No. 13 in the league race.
That being said, the Orange has secured a berth in the upcoming ACC Tournament, which will take place in Charlotte, N.C., and only include the top 15 teams among the conference's 18 members.
Odds-makers are forecasting Syracuse basketball to lose by a wide margin at SMU.
The 'Cuse (12-17, 6-12 in the ACC) only has two regular-season games left in the 2024-25 campaign. After the Orange plays at SMU, Syracuse basketball will host Virginia on Saturday night.
So far in 2024-25, the 'Cuse has yet to win a quadrant-one game, and Tuesday night's affair in Dallas provides Syracuse basketball with such an opportunity. The Orange's current NCAA NET ranking is No. 142, as compared to No. 41 for the Mustangs.
To date, the 'Cuse is 0-8 in quadrant one, 1-6 in quadrant two, 5-3 in quadrant three and 6-0 in quadrant four. In another breakdown of the Orange's record, Syracuse basketball is 10-6 at home, 0-3 at neutral sites and 2-8 in road affairs, having prevailed at Boston College and California.
The Mustangs, meanwhile, are 11-5 so far in 2024-25 on their turf, along with 7-3 on the road and 3-0 on neutral floors.
One of my biggest frustrations with the 'Cuse in 2024-25 is that when it has battled higher-quality foes, it has often lost by big margins. I'd love to see the Orange hang close with SMU on Tuesday evening, even if Syracuse basketball doesn't end up coming out on top.
It won't prove easy, though. For one, the Mustangs are No. 3 in the ACC in points per game, at 81.66. The 'Cuse, I might add, is next-to-last in the ACC in points allowed per contest, at 78.76. Yikes.