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Syracuse followed up a 29-point loss to No. 16 Illinois with a last-minute win on the road against Notre Dame. Led by a comeback game from Joe Girard and a double-double by Jesse Edwards, the Orange took down the Fighting Irish to win their opening Atlantic Coast Conference game to move back to .500. They now return home to face Oakland, kicking off a six-game home stand in which SU is predicted to win each game.
The Grizzlies started the season 2-8 and haven’t made it to a postseason tournament since 2017, when they made it to the second round of the National Invite Tournament. Oakland enters Tuesday night on a five game losing streak.
Here’s what our beat writers predict will happen when Syracuse faces the Grizzlies on Tuesday:
Anish Vasudevan (6-2)
Hey Joe
Syracuse 75, Oakland 64
I’m going to keep making Joe Girard puns as long as he keeps playing like the old Joe. Girard and Edwards combined for 42 against Notre Dame and should have a field day against an Oakland side that allows 56.0% of their opponent’s shots from inside the arc to fall while giving up an average of 38.8% from deep, according to KenPom.
Defensively, Syracuse shouldn’t have any issues, facing a team with an average height of 6-foot-2. There’s simply no way the Orange drop this game unless they come out the gates slow like they’ve done at home this season. Led by Girard, SU should breeze by Oakland and have some momentum into its next five straight home games.
Connor Smith (6-2)
Time to roll
Syracuse 80, Oakland 60
Syracuse is predicted to win its next seven games, according to KenPom. After a rough 3-4 start to the season, which included two upset home losses against Colgate and Bryant, this is now the Orange’s time to get on a roll before a major test at No. 3 Virginia on Jan. 7, and the rest of conference play. This stretch, beginning Tuesday night against Oakland — a 2-8 mid-major team that’s lost five straight — is an opportunity for SU to find a real groove, one where Girard can find some consistency, and Jim Boeheim can figure out what lineups he likes.
Most importantly, entering this game off an impressive road win over Notre Dame, Syracuse should have some momentum to get out to an early lead against the Grizzlies. Oakland doesn’t shoot 3s or rebound well offensively, and those have been the two factors teams have used to beat SU this season. Without success in those areas, I don’t see the Grizzlies keeping this one close. Syracuse will extend its win streak to two, a streak it should be able to continue extending into early January.
Anthony Alandt (4-4)
Grizzly bore
Syracuse 90, Oakland 72
Well, I’m as bad at predicting games as Syracuse is at winning them. Alas, I think we’ve both finally hit a stretch where we’ll be on the same page. Syracuse beat Notre Dame in the same way they need to in every game — with Girard at his best and Edwards fueling an offense. The performance impressed me because it was the sort of game SU was capable of playing, but I just didn’t think it would come to fruition this early.
After coming back to central New York at 4-4, and with a conference win, the Orange are greeted with a six-game home stand filled with teams they should easily beat. Oakland, a middling Horizon League team struggling to find any success past their 19th-ranked turnover percentage, should be an easy game to get through for SU. Any way you slice it, this should be a fun game for the Orange to flex their strengths they showcased against Notre Dame.
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