The Syracuse Orange (7-4) will look to extend their winning streak to five in a row when they host the Cornell Big Red (7-2) Saturday afternoon in the Dome.
Can Syracuse slow down the high-tempo Cornell offense? This one could turn into a high-scoring affair, so here’s how we see the last non-conference game for the Orange unfolding.
Kevin
Syracuse 84, Cornell 79
If Jesse Edwards can stay out of foul trouble and give Syracuse 33+ minutes, then he should be able to carry the Orange over the Big Red. Cornell is going to take a lot of 3s and Syracuse needs to rebound those misses and prevent those open kick-outs that Colgate thrived on last month. The Orange need to win this game, so they better not overlook their Ivy League neighbors.
Dom
Syracuse 82, Cornell 73
Despite the Orange’s struggles against Oakland for most of the game, it’s hard to see Cornell’s defense force enough turnovers to get Syracuse out of its groove. Big Red sits at 267th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. This team will push the tempo and get some open shots, but defensively, Syracuse should be able to get the shots it is looking for. It’ll be a high-scoring contest, but the Orange sneak by with the win.
Christian
Cornell 80, Syracuse 78
This is a trap game for Syracuse. The obvious concern is the three-point shooting for Cornell, but a bigger concern for me is the lack of consistent inside scoring from players not named Jesse Edwards. This sets up another game that we’ve seen from Judah Mintz where he thinks he needs to drive and score himself to pull Syracuse back. If another forward can’t support Edwards inside, Mintz is going to try to go into takeover mode, which is where we’ve seen his turnover numbers skyrocket. Add it all up and Cornell could very well prove that its performance against Miami wasn’t a fluke.
Mike
Cornell 88, Syracuse 84
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice... well, losing three buy games in one season is just ridiculous. But I have a terrible feeling that is going to happen here. The Orange just cannot defend the three. Teams that shoot halfway decent from distance have been keeping it close with Syracuse and while Cornell is not quite as proficient in that regard as say, Colgate, their shootout with No. 25 Miami should give them all the confidence in the world. Not to mention, the Big Red shoot nearly 50% from the field, Top-20 in the nation, so if the Orange Zone overextends to defend the wing, expect them to take advantage of chances in the paint.
Szuba
Cornell 81, Syracuse 79
The Syracuse defense wasn’t exactly great against Monmouth earlier this week. The 2-3 zone has been exploitable and that’s just what I think the No. 3 team in the country in two-point shooting percentage will do. The Big Red is coming off a narrow loss to Miami and should be hungry after 10 days rest to dissect the zone for open looks. The Syracuse offense will do enough to keep pace against a limited Cornell defense, but give me the Big Red to come into the JMA dome and upset Syracuse for the first time since 1968.
That’s how we see this one going. Now you tell us your prediction:
Poll
Who wins the game between Syracuse and Cornell?
This poll is closed
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27%
Cornell wins and we’ll have a Red Christmas in CNY
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72%
Syracuse wins and it is Gorges
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