Syracuse Basketball opens the regular season at home, as Le Moyne College makes the short trip to the JMA Wireless Dome.
Both teams come into November 4th’s regular-season opener after dominating in the preseason exhibition games. This will be the first time that Syracuse basketball will face off against Le Moyne since the Dolphins made the switch to NCAA Division I in 2023.
The last time these squads matched up came in 2021. In this exhibition contest, the Orange won in dominant fashion 90-50. However, a lot has changed since the last meeting for both sides.
Syracusealso has a history of playing other teams located in Upstate New York. This season alone, the Orange will play Colgate, Cornell, and Albany, as well as Le Moyne.
“Any time you get a chance to play these local teams, I think it’s big.” Autry said. “It’s exciting for the upstate community.”
General Information
Teams: Syracuse (0-0) and Le Moyne (0-0)
Tip Time: 7 p.m. EST
Watch: ACCNX / ESPN+
Listen: TK99/105
What to know about Le Moyne
In the preseason, the Dolphins played one exhibition game, as they dominated NCAA DII opponent Mansfield University, 116-67. In this matchup Le Moyne showed their ability to be lethal from three. The Dolphins knocked down 18 triples and shot an impressive 47.4% from distance.
Le Moyne also showed that they can have a balanced offensive attack. They added 40 points in the paint and 26 fast break points. However, this high-octane performance was countered by turning the ball over 16 times.
Individually, Le Moyne returns Darrick Jones Jr and Ocypher Owens, who both averaged more than eight points last season. However, in the game against Mansfield University, Le Moyne relied on different faces to lead the squad. UT Arlington transfer Freds Pauls Bagatskis had 19 points in just 14 minutes of action. Returning junior Trent Mosquera added 14 points while going 4-6 from deep.
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Syracuse basketball looked very comfortable in their two exhibition matchups. The Orange beat Clarion 101-73 and Slippery Rock 96-51. Syracuse showed glimpses of using the three ball to dominate opponents. In the win over Slippery Rock, six different players hit from behind the arc, including Chris Bell who hit five three-pointers. Freshman Elijah Moore also contributed by adding four triples.
However, Syracuse basketball showed a few weak spots in the two exhibition matchups. In the first 10 minutes against Slippery Rock, the Orange struggled to get the ball into the painted area, leaving the three-point shot as the primary source of scoring.
Even though these shots went in, the Orange were only able to create three shots at the rim in those first 10 minutes.
Eddie Lampkin Jr. was a bright spot for the Orange in those two contests, but without Lampkin on the floor, SU may struggle to dominate in the paint.
While the starting five is not set in stone, the Orange have weapons that can stretch the floor and score on all three levels. The cross-town, regular season opener will be a great opportunity for Syracuse basketball to start the season on the right foot.