Remember Syracuse Orange basketball? Remember when that was a thing? It was so long ago. Well, that time has returned and for the first time in eight days SU will play a sanctioned ACC game. They'll be hosting the Florida State Seminoles in the final game of a four-game home-stand and it's a critical one. Syracuse and FSU are more or less battling it out for the 8th and 9th spots in the Louisville-less ACC Tournament seedings. A win here could give some separation and get SU back into discussion for a potential double-bye.
Will they get it done? Let's see what everyone thinks.
Andrew Carey
Syracuse 72 - Florida State 68
The Orange come out a little rusty after the 9 day break, but eventually shake it off and get the win. Mike Gbinije will need to have a big game if the Orange want to win, creating and scoring for the team. The Orange will have to key in on Malik Beasley, Dwayne Bacon, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes. Lydon, Roberson, and Coleman will need will need to come up big for the Orange on the boards if they want to pull off the win. This is a huge game in terms of their NCAA tournament resume.
Ari Gilberg
Syracuse 66 – Florida State 64
They don’t call Syracuse "Cardiac Cuse" for nothing. After closer-than-should-be wins over Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, expect another slim victory over the Seminoles Thursday night. With Florida State’s top rebounder, Dwayne Bacon, averaging only 5.8 rebounds per game, look for the Orange to rely on its rebounding machine in Tyler Roberson, who ranks No. 32 in the country in total rebounds with 220, to give them a decisive advantage on the glass, and ultimately help propel Syracuse to its fourth straight win.
John Orsenigo
Syracuse 74, Florida State 70
Florida State loves to push the tempo of the game, trying to score on the break as often as they can. In fact, they rank 19th in the country in percentage of shots taken in transition (28.5 percent). Syracuse, on the other hand, leads the country in lowest number of shots surrendered in transition opportunities (15.4 percent). FSU ranks 4th in scoring offense in ACC games at 75.5 ppg, so Syracuse's ability to limit their transition opportunities and force them to work their offense against the 2-3 zone will be a crucial key to victory for the Orange.
James Szuba
Syracuse 76 - Florida State 68
Syracuse is coming off a long rest which can be taken two ways; either the team will be well rested and ready to compete or sluggish from the long break. I see Syracuse going out and taking care of business at home. Syracuse will have to mitigate Beasley, Bacon and Rathan-Mayes who can go off at any time, but the zone will be too strong and Syracuse will win.
Kevin Wall
Syracuse 75 - Florida State 72
People worry about the long break, but I think the extra time will help the Orange, especially Trevor Cooney. The Seminoles are a strong offensive team, but if Syracuse can keep them out of the paint, they should be able to grab a key victory.
Michael Burke
Syracuse 75 - Florida State 72
People worry about the long break, but I think the extra time will help the Orange, especially Trevor Cooney. The Seminoles are a strong offensive team, but if Syracuse can keep them out of the paint, they should be able to grab a key victory.
Sean Keeley
Syracuse 73 - Florida State 70
Well, the time off could be good as it gave the team time to practice and recover from any wear & tear. The time off could be bad as well and the team comes out cold. Who the hell knows. I do feel like this team has the talent and ability to win this game regardless so that's how I'll go. FSU is good and this could be a really great win for the Orange as they build that resume.
Now it's your turn...