Syracuse students agree: Getting another home win is great.
Syracuse was crushed at #8 Virginia inside, and for also not making any shots. But before that, Syracuse won their previous two home games, including against ranked Virginia Tech, by an average of 22 points. Syracuse has the chance to get firmly on the right side of the bubble against a fellow bubble team, and stop the odd losing streak against NC State as well.
NC State comes into the Dome their first game after losing their best player to an ACL injury, effectively ending his season. Devon Daniels averaged 16.5ppg and almost 50% from the floor. He will be missed by NC State, who now has to make up that offense. But also rebounding. Syracuse needs to drive and get good scoring opportunities like they did against VTech. Earning free throws and getting NC State into foul trouble will go a long way in winning the game. NC State doesn't take many 3's but when they do, the usually make them. So they either need to force players to go inside, or take so many contested outside shots that they get out of rhythm and miss a bunch, allowing Syracuse to take advantage by limiting possessions of the opponent and earning fast break points. Even without a major shot blocking presence in the middle of this zone, they should be able to handle NC State. This is a very winable game for Syracuse. I'm picking the Orange by nine.
This game is available on the ACC network at 6:00pm. I'll be watching, along with John. GO ORNAGE!
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Preview
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