Syracuse gets its second look at the season Thursday night, and the setup is about as straightforward as it gets. The Orange are coming off a 74-58 win over New Haven on Monday, a game they controlled from the jump after ripping off an 18-0 start and keeping the Chargers off the board until around the eight-minute mark.
Kiyan Anthony led Syracuse with 17 points off the bench, while Gavin Doty and Sadiq White Jr. each posted double-doubles. It was Gerry McNamara’s first official win as Syracuse’s head coach, and it came in front of 23,283 fans - the largest opening-game crowd in 10 years. Even with the 16-point margin, McNamara still wasn’t pleased with how the final score looked.
Now the Orange turn to Central Connecticut State before the schedule gets much steeper with Power Five nonconference games against Indiana and St. John’s.
Syracuse has handled this matchup before. The Orange lead the all-time series 1-0, and the lone meeting came on Dec. 31, 2012, when Syracuse rolled to a 96-62 win. That night marked Jim Boeheim’s 902nd career victory, which tied Bob Knight for second on the all-time men’s college basketball coaching win list at the time.
That Syracuse team spread the scoring around, with five players finishing in double figures. Michael Carter-Williams paced the Orange with 18 points, while Brandon Triche, DaJuan Coleman and CJ Fair all chipped in 13.
Syracuse also dominated the glass, 57-32, with Rakeem Christmas and Fair grabbing 10 rebounds apiece. The Orange improved to 12-1 with the win and eventually finished 30-10 with a trip to the Final Four.
Central Connecticut arrives in the Dome at 0-1 after a 68-56 loss to Temple on Monday. The Blue Devils scored only 16 points in the first half, and even though they played better over the final 30 minutes, they never fully recovered. Raphel Laurent was the only starter to reach double figures.
This is also a very different CCSU team from the one that went 18-12 last season and led the Northeast Conference in scoring at 73.8 points per game. That group lost to Wagner in the NEC Tournament quarterfinals, its first conference playoff game.
Then the roster turned over heavily. The Blue Devils lost their four leading scorers, all of whom averaged more than nine points per game: Darin Smith Jr.
(20.7) to Rutgers, Max Frazier (12.0) to Hampton, Jay Rodgers (11.0) to Penn State and Melo Sanchez (9.6) to South Dakota.
Gabe Spinelli is the top returning scorer at 4.6 points per game. Laurent, who scored 13 in the opener, transferred in from UMass Boston after averaging more than 20 points last season. Ashton Reynolds gave Central Connecticut a lift off the bench with 18 points against Temple, a sharp jump from the 3.7 points per game he averaged as a freshman.
KenPom gives Syracuse a 97% chance to win and projects a 78-58 final. Central Connecticut sits 340th in the rankings, 15 spots ahead of New Haven.
For Syracuse, the bigger picture is less about surviving this game and more about sharpening things before the tougher stretch arrives. The Orange built a huge lead against New Haven, but they didn’t completely bury the game, and that kind of inconsistency won’t be as forgiving against Indiana or St.
John’s. Syracuse also needs cleaner work from 3-point range after shooting 28.6% from deep in the opener.
Mark Morano stood out by hitting three of the Orange’s eight threes, but the rest of the perimeter attack never really settled in.
One number from Central Connecticut’s opener jumps off the page: 4.2. That was the average scoring output from the Blue Devils’ starting five against Temple.
The group of Rashawn Tibby, Jayden Mott, Matt Goodwin, James Jones and Laurent combined for very little production, with only Laurent scoring more than six. Tibby and Jones each made one free throw, while Goodwin was held scoreless.
The bench carried the offense, and if CCSU keeps that same starting group, its reserves may be called on early again.
The player to keep an eye on is Reynolds, No. 13.
He was the only Blue Devil to top 15 points against Temple, finishing with 18 in 28 minutes. That was a big leap from his freshman season, when he averaged 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 46% from the field.
Syracuse should expect him to stay central to Central Connecticut’s offense Thursday night.
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Syracuse's Costly Clemson Confusion Came Down To One Crucial Rule
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For the Orange, it was the kind of sequence that can swing a half because the margin for error is so small. The takeaway is straightforward but unforgiving: after a first down, players need to get down immediately if they want any chance of preserving time for another snap, because once the clock gets that low, the spike is no longer an option. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Let Clemson Hang Around Until One Brutal Mistake Changed Everything
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Steve Angeli and the Syracuse offense never found much rhythm through the air, and the turnovers eventually became too costly to survive in an 18-13 loss. The critical turning point came on a backward pass that Clemson turned into a defensive touchdown, a brutal swing in a game where Syracuse had spent so much time hanging around and giving itself a chance. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Turns Clemson Visit Into A Huge Recruiting Test
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Quarterbacks Twigg and Davis, along with athlete Shuford, are among the recruits who have been in contact with Syracuse coaches throughout the process, and those conversations have helped shape their view of the program. The visit gives the Orange a chance to build on that interest, but the bigger question is how much traction Syracuse can turn from a high-profile weekend like this one, especially with so many prospects watching the same stage. [Read more 🡒]