Syracuse students agree: wolverines are nothing more than skunk bears.
In its first game away from the Carrier Dome this season, the Syracuse Orange take on the Michigan Wolverines tonight at 7:30 (more realistically 8pm) in the Legends Classic semifinals from Atlantic City, NJ. Both teams are undefeated on the year; Syracuse with four wins, Michigan with three. However, neither team has faced competition from a major conference thus far, so I think both schools are looking to this game to truly gauge where they are at this early point in the season. Ask Jim Boeheim, and he'll tell you his Orangemen are not a good team, not shooting the ball well, and is overrated. Ask Wolverines coach John Beilein, and he'll tell you his team is really young, starting three freshman, and they have a lot to prove. It may be simple, but this game will come down to which team can shoot the ball better. Unfortunately, this stat may fall to Michigan: as a team they're shooting 48.5% from the field, including 37.7% from three. Syracuse, on the other hand, is a measly 40.4% from the field and 31.9% from three. While Zack Novak might be the "heart and soul" of this Michigan team, I think the key for Syracuse is to keep the ball away from a pair of freshmen: #10 small forward Tim Hardaway, and #23 forward Evan Smotrycz. If these two are shooting cold, Syracuse has a chance to stay in the game, even with a mediocre shooting effort themselves. My unfortunate prediction is Michigan by 2. I hope to God I'm wrong.
Labels: Basketball, Preview
I love being wrong. But Syracuse shot 41.7% to 32.3%. That was the difference, I suppose.