After an ugly 48-34 opening night loss to then No. 11 Virginia, Syracuse basketball was swept under the rug a little bit. But after four straight wins, the Orange enter Wednesday night with a chance to put their name on the national map. Granted, the four wins came against Colgate, Seattle, Cornell, and Bucknell, but the improvements have been noticed.
Getting hot at the right time
Freshman Joeseph Girard III taking over at starting point guard after the injury to Jalen Carey has provided new life to a stale offense that was seen against the Cavaliers. Girard is averaging 10.6 PPG to go along with 3.6 APG and is shooting 44% from deep. He’s also inserted himself into the nation’s 8th best defense, adding 1.6 steals per game. Girard is joined up top on the defense by sophomore Buddy Boeheim, who is coming off a 22 point outing against Bucknell wear he shot 6-8 from three-point land. He did all of that in 23 minutes. Syracuse came away with a 97-46 win against Bucknell, shooting 56.1% from the floor and 48.3% from deep. They’ll need that kind of production against a 5-0 Oklahoma State team that is allowing just 60 points per game.
Looking at Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have not beaten anyone good thus far, but they are the first non-conference Power 5 team the Orange will play. This team starts the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In the last campus round, Oklahoma State knocked off Western Michigan, 70-63. Sophomore Yor Aneil has come into his 6 foot 10 frame, recording 13 points and five blocks in the team’s win over the Broncos. The Cowboys are led by guards Lindy Waters III and Issac Likekele, who combine for 25.2 points per game and aren’t afraid to crash the boards. Oklahoma State is built similarly to the Orange, averaging just one point less at 71.2 PPG. The difference is the Cowboys shoot a little worse, rebound a little better, and force turnovers slightly more than the Orange. But the two teams match up pretty well overall. It should be a fun back and forth game in Brooklyn.
Final thoughts
Realistically, Syracuse should be able to take care of business tonight. Oklahoma State went 12-20 last season and is not much better this year. Oklahoma State owns the all-time series 3-2, but the last time the two teams met was all the way back in 2006. Not to look too far ahead, but the other side of the bracket features Ole Miss and Penn State. Both of those teams would present a pretty even matchup with the Orange in a potential championship game. In front of what should be a nearly home crowd for Syracuse, the team has a chance to win two games against actual opponents and move to 6-1 heading into a matchup with Iowa next week. On the other side, two losses could send the Orange spiraling downwards.