Syracuse vs. Buffalo: TV/streaming, time, odds, history & more

Teams: Syracuse Orange (5-1, 1-0) vs. Buffalo Bulls (3-2, 1-1)

Day & Time: Saturday, December 19, 6 p.m. ET

Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.

Line: Syracuse -13

TV/Streaming: ACC Network, WatchESPN

Radio: Cuse.com, TK 99/105, WAER 88.3

Buffalo Blog: UB Bull Run

Rivalry: 28-6, Syracuse

Current Streak: 1, Buffalo

First Meeting: January 11, 1918 played host to this first meeting between the two programs in Buffalo. Syracuse won 30-17 behind 14 points from Joe Schwarzer.

Last Meeting: Buffalo was red-hot in 2018-19 after an upset over No. 13 West Virginia at Morgantown. The Bulls were 10-0 heading into the game against Syracuse, while the Orange had already lost three games on the season, including an upset loss to Old Dominion. Buffalo extended Syracuse’s losing streak with a 71-59 victory in the Carrier Dome behind 25 points from CJ Massinburg.

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Head Coaches: Syracuse - Jim Boeheim (45th year, 1,070-400) | Buffalo - Jim Whitesell (second season, 22-12) Angres Thorpe (acting head coach, 1-1)

Coach Bio: Whitesell has not coached Buffalo for the past two games due to COVID-19 contact tracing. He was watching from a safe distance during Buffalo’s game against Mercyhurst on December 10, and received notice the next day that the person he came in close contact with tested positive for COVID-19. Whitesell announced on Twitter that he’s self-quarantining for 14 days.

Thorpe has taken over as acting head coach in Whitesell’s absence. Thorpe played his collegiate ball at St. Leo College (FL). He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant with Loras College. Thorpe would move to Lewis University in 1996 as an assistant coach, where Whitesell was head coach at the time. His first D-I experience came as an assistant coach at Ball State for two seasons and at Saint Louis for six seasons. Thorpe then took another assistant job at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay before taking associate head coaching jobs at Toledo and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He reunited with Whitesell at Buffalo in 2019 as an assistant coach.

Last Year: After an NCAA tournament berth in the 2018-19 season as a six-seed, Buffalo regressed in 2019-20 in its first season under Whitesell. The Bulls lost 7 more conference games but still held the three-seed heading into the MAC tournament. There, Buffalo suffered a shocking loss to 12-seed Miami (OH), who the Bulls had defeated previously twice that season.

Last Game: Buffalo exacted some revenge for that shocking exit from the MAC tournament with a 90-62 win over Miami (OH) on Tuesday. That game marked the fewest amount of points the Bulls had allowed this season.

Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

“Fear Me, I’ve Killed Hundreds of Timelords”: Jeenathan Williams is doing everything for Buffalo. The Rochester native leads the Bulls in points per game (20) and rebounds per game (8.6). Williams is also tied for second on the team with 3.2 assists per game. His 21 points led all scorers in Buffalo’s win over Miami (OH).

If Syracuse Wins: We send a reminder that New York’s College Team™ extends to Western New York.

If Syracuse Loses: We find a way to schedule St. John’s immediately to reaffirm that we’re still New York’s College Team™.

Fun Fact: Buffalo’s head coach during the 2018-19 season that included the win over Syracuse was Nate Oats. You may have heard of him recently after his recent Coach K comments. Oats would later apologize for his statements.