Can the Orange get a win in Brooklyn?
The Syracuse Orange (5-5) are back in NYC tomorrow to face the Maryland Terrapins (9-2) in the Nutrafol Gotham Classic at the Barclays Center. The game tips off at Noon on ESPN and here’s what we’re predicting:
Kevin: Maryland 84, Syracuse 71
Not sure how the Orange can hang in this one without JJ Starling. Maryland has been scorching the nets led by Derik Queen and some strong outside shooting. We haven’t seen Syracuse lock down on defense and with a team that boasts five players averaging double-digits, it doesn’t seem like this game will give us anything different.
Max: Maryland 86, Syracuse 70
I tried to stay optimistic and backed the Orange against the Hoyas. I’ve now hopped on the “I’m-not-picking-Syracuse-until-they-show-me-otherwise boat.” Enough with the wishful thinking, UMD holds the advantage in nearly every offensive and defensive category. The Terrapins run one of the fastest offensive tempos in the nation, and it’ll be too much for the Orange to keep up with.
Sam: Maryland 86, Syracuse 66
Straying nine points from the KenPom projection feels crazy, but I’ve been very high on this Maryland team since the beginning of the offseason. Queen is a matchup nightmare, Gillespie is one of the most underrated guards nationally, and the Terps are top-to-bottom more physical, athletic, and talented than this Orange team.
Dom: Maryland 79, Syracuse 71
Maryland’s two losses are both to ranked opponents — Marquette and Purdue. As much as I side toward the optimistic side, the Terrapins should be the easy favorite considering all the factors going in their favor. The one reason I’m keeping this remotely close compared to the rest of the staff is Syracuse showed good fight versus both Texas Tech and Texas in Brooklyn. If there’s enough of a “home crowd” feeling in the Barclays Center, maybe this game plays out similarly to those previous two matchups.
Szuba: Maryland 88, Syracuse 72
Maryland is just too good in all aspects of the game right now. Syracuse, meanwhile, can score but is still having trouble defending for long stretches, is struggling mightily to shoot the ball and can’t find a way to win close games down the stretch just yet. I think the Orange can manufacture points in this game through the frontcourt but the Terps have scored 80 or more in seven games and have broken 100 twice. That’s too much to overcome for a struggling, short-handed Syracuse squad.
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