Teams: Syracuse Orange (8-6, 0-1) vs. Miami Hurricanes (11-2, 1-0)
Day & Time: Wednesday, January 4, 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Line: N/A, at the moment
TV: RSN
Radio: Syracuse IMG Network, WAER 88.3, Sirius 93/XM 193
Miami Blog: State of the U
Rivalry: 16-7, Syracuse
Current Streak: 2, Miami
First Meeting: Dave Bing guided the Orangemen past the Hurricanes with 29 points in an 86-86 overtime victory back in 1963. SU wasn’t favored in the road game, but pulled the upset anyway over Rick Barry & Co.
Last Meeting: Mike Hopkins’s side simply couldn’t put up the necessary points in an ugly affair down in Coral Gables. Despite an eight-point halftime lead, the Orange collapsed in the second half to lose, 64-51. Malachi Richardson (20 points) and Michael Gbinije (10) were the only SU players to score in double figures. It was Syracuse’s second of four straight losses under Hopkins.
Head Coaches: SU: Jim Boeheim (41st Year, 993-348); Miami: Jim Larranaga (6th Year, 129-59)
Head Coach Bio: Larranaga’s been around for awhile. The Bronx native played at (pre-Big East) Providence, then jumped right into coaching. He got his first head coaching gig in 1977, taking over Division II American International for two seasons. After a long stint as a Virginia assistant during the program’s heyday, he headed to Bowling Green in 1986. He coached the Falcons for 11 seasons with middling results — just three trips to the NIT to show for it.
After leaving BGSU, he turned George Mason into a Colonial Athletic Association power, and then later a household name when the Patriots made a surprise run to the Final Four in 2006. Larranaga made the NCAAs five times in 14 years, but had a winning record in all but his first season. He headed to Miami in 2011 following a 27-7 campaign at George Mason that saw them get to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Last Year: Miami was one of the best teams in the ACC, finishing tied for second in the conference with a 13-5 record in league play. The Hurricanes went 27-8 on the year and bowed out to eventual champion Villanova in the Sweet 16.
Last Game: The ‘Canes pushed NC State around to cruise to an easy, 81-63 victory. Miami held the Wolfpack under 40 percent shooting, while out-rebounding them and dictating the pace of the game. Four different Miami players were in double figures, including Davon Reed (20 points) and Ja’Quan Newton (21).
"Fear Me, I've Killed Hundreds of Timelords": Leading scorer Newton’s the easy pick here, but Reed may actually be the certified killer for the ‘Canes against Syracuse. The senior guard is shooting nearly 40 percent from three (30-for-76), and players with lines like that have been able to do as they please on the perimeter vs. the Orange all season.
If Syracuse Wins: We’re far from out of the woods, but any win would help for the Orange, who’ve yet to beat a major conference opponent all season (nevermind one that’s on the cusp of being ranked).
If Syracuse Loses: They are who we thought they were.
Fun Fact No. 1: You blocked this out at the time (and since), but in 2014, (former SU assistant) Bernie Fine helped Larranaga implement the zone at Miami. It was a temporary measure to help the team adjust to an influx of new players. They don’t really use it much anymore. Sorry, that wasn’t really “fun” at all.
Fun Fact No. 2: The Ibis has been Miami’s mascot since the university’s inception, however in 1950, they had a boxer (dog) on the sidelines, where it would reside until 1957. Sebastian, originally called “Icky,” was born in ‘57. He’s been around ever since, with the most recent costume design dating back to 1984.