The Syracuse men’s basketball season opens tonight at 7:00 against New Haven on ACCNX, and the staff’s read on the matchup points to a comfortable Orange win.
Kevin sees Syracuse pulling away late for a 75-64 victory. He expects a tighter game than the final margin suggests, but thinks the Orange can separate at the line.
He pointed to players like Gavin Doty knocking down free throws late and said that, with Aidan Tobiason out, Syracuse will likely look to attack inside more. In his view, Luke Wilson, Amarri Monroe and Sadiq White all reach double figures.
Dom has Syracuse winning 80-66. He noted the uncertainty around Tobiason, but expects an early wobble to give way to a scoring burst once Syracuse settles in defensively and starts creating transition chances. He believes the Orange’s strengths will outweigh the rough spots and said Sadiq White leads all players in scoring.
Max is even more bullish, picking Syracuse 81-63. He framed this as a chance for the Orange to keep building chemistry after the exhibition slate and said Sadiq White should have a big scoring night. He also expects contributions across the roster and sees the opener under Gerry McNamara as a chance to launch the new era with a dominant performance.
Sam has the lowest-scoring forecast of the group, with Syracuse taking it 71-49. He questioned where New Haven’s shot creation will come from at the NEC level, mentioning Kheni Briggs, Teshaud Steele, Danny Young and Tim Walker as possible answers. He also said Syracuse may look clunky on offense, but that the Orange should still handle business comfortably.
Across the board, the expectation is that Syracuse cleans up some of the issues from the three exhibitions, leans on its length and athleticism, and gets enough from Doty, Wilson and White to start the McNamara campaign with a win.
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