For the first time in over a decade, the Orange and Great Danes take the court in a nonconference battle. Read more for a full Syracuse vs UAlbany prediction and preview.
Syracuse is back home after a week-long road trip to wrap up the last group of nonconference games. This time, the Orange welcome UAlbany for the ninth time in program history. It’s a matchup that began back in the 1918-19, and the most recent was 2011-12 season.
Here’s a look at what to expect inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
Game Information:
Teams: Syracuse (4-4, 0-1 ACC) and UAlbany (6-4)
Tip Time: 7 p.m. EST
Watch: ESPN 2
Listen: TK99 and WAER
Latest on UAlbany basketball:
UAlbany is back from its trip to Boston for a Saturday night game against the Boston University Terriers. After taking the Terriers into overtime, Albany only scored eight points and fell, 80-74.
The Great Danes’ game against Syracuse is UAlbany’s first Power 4 game of the regular season. After starting its season with five-straight wins, the Great Danes have gone 2-2 over the last two weeks.
UAlbany has four players averaging at least 10 points per game, with guard Byron Joshua leading the Great Danes with 13.6 points per game. Plus, the team stands tall physically — not a single player on UAlbany’s roster is shorter than 6-foot-3. All of their bigs stand at 6-foot-6 or above, with Bautista Giralt being the team’s lone seven-footer. However, Syracuse does stand taller, so still expect the rebounding battle to go in favor of the Orange.
Syracuse’s biggest concern will be controlling possession. UAlbany is 12th in the nation for steals, averaging over 10 steals per game. Its aggressive defense has led to roughly 20 points off turnovers, and at least one block per game. Though the numbers aren’t too flashy, aside from steals, the Great Danes have proven in the early months of this year that they know how to frustrate an opponent — especially if their opponent plays sloppy.
Latest on Syracuse basketball:
The Orange, after picking up a few home wins to start the year, have dropped four of their last five games this season. That includes a 69-64 loss at Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon, where Syracuse didn’t make a single triple for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
This team’s ability to score from beyond the arc has been a struggle throughout November and it’s leaking into early December. Syracuse was shooting 27% prior to its loss to Notre Dame, and that percentage has since dropped to 26%, meanwhile, the Orange’s opponents are averaging 32.4% from the three.
Syracuse has been reconfiguring its offense since losing top-scorer JJ Starling, having to rely on a new starting lineup and combinations to fill in the gap Starling has left the last two games. Elijah Moore, Jyare Davis, and Donnie Freeman have all put in big numbers in the last two games, but their efforts haven’t resulted in a win.
Davis and Freeman scored a combined 40 points against the Fighting Irish on Saturday, while Moore scored 24 against No. 3 Tennessee during the SEC/ACC Challenge on Dec. 3.
The biggest issue for the Orange is the lack of consistency. Syracuse has found ways to win basketball games inside the dome, but it still hasn’t perfectly meshed together. If Freeman and Davis play the way they did against the Fighting Irish, or even simply make timely baskets early and often, Syracuse can feel relatively comfortable about its chances.
This is a team that needs a confidence boost before ACC really kicks off in the coming weeks. A strong performance against the Great Danes can be that boost.