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After an 84-62 drubbing at Virginia, Syracuse returns to the JMA Wireless Dome to face in-state foe Cornell. It’ll be an opportunity for the Orange to get back on track before they head to Washington D.C. to face historic rival Georgetown.

Saturday, UVA picked up its sixth-straight win over SU behind a 57% clip from beyond the arc and by forcing 14 Syracuse turnovers. The Orange lost their conference opener in the worst performance for them this season.

“Virginia was on today,” said guard J.J. Starling. “They beat us. They were the better team today. You know, we’re just going to learn from it.”

Now, SU hosts a very-winnable game against a team it has won 42-straight against. Here’s everything you need to know about Cornell (7-1, 0-0 Ivy League):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 96-31.

Last time they played

Last December, Cornell once again made the quick trip up to Syracuse, searching for its first win against the Orange since 1968.

In the first half, the Big Red led for all but 54 seconds, resulting in a 37-37 tie at halftime. The Orange managed to take the lead back on the opening possession of the second half, a period where Cornell struggled to make baskets and allowed Syracuse to pull away.

Joe Girard III led Syracuse with 19 points, but there was a period where Cornell missed 21-of-22 straight shots that buried itself away. It also attempted a program-record 48 3-pointers against the Orange. The missed shots and a more intense zone defense by SU allowed it to pull away with a 78-63 victory.

“Cornell was a better team than us today,” former head coach Jim Boeheim said postgame. “The only reason we won is because they missed shots.”

KenPom odds

Syracuse has a 64% chance of winning, with a projected score of 85-81.

The Big Red report

Cornell is off to a hot start, winning seven of its first eight games. But, it has yet to face a major program like Syracuse this season. It’s only loss was to George Mason by seven points on Nov. 15, but the Big Red have won their last four, most recently defeating Monmouth and Lafayette.

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The Big Red are strong offensively, averaging over 85 points per game with an adjusted offensive efficiency of 112.5, a mark that’s 55th-best in the nation, per KenPom. They spread the scoring out, having no player that averages more than 13 points per game, though six players average more than eight. Inside the 2-point line, Cornell makes nearly 64% of its shots, the second-best in the country, per KenPom.

How Syracuse beats Cornell

This game comes at the perfect time for the Orange. Syracuse will need offensive production from multiple players to stop the high-scoring Big Red. Judah Mintz was limited to five points against Virginia, but the last time he played on the JMA Wireless Dome floor, he notched a career-high 33 points.

Though Cornell shouldn’t prove to be as difficult as UVA, Syracuse’s man defense will need to be tight as the Big Red have the 15th-best effective field-goal percentage (57.6%) in the country, per KenPom. Naheem McLeod has the height advantage down low as no Cornell player is taller than 6-foot-10. Limiting second-chance opportunities on the glass will be crucial. In the first half against LSU, the Tigers’ 12 offensive rebounds extended possessions.

Stat to know: 15.2

Cornell loves to play fast and score quickly. Its average possession length is 15.2 seconds, per KenPom, the 17th-fastest in the country. Syracuse likes to play fast too, but it’ll need to control the Big Red’s tempo if it wants to come out on top. SU limits opponents to just over 71 points per game, but when it plays too fast, it has a tendency to turn the ball over.

Player to watch: Cooper Noard, guard, No. 31

Noard has a much more significant role with the Big Red this season as a sophomore, starting in all eight of their contests thus far while playing over 24 minutes a game, the most of any Cornell player. Last season as a freshman, he averaged just under two points per game and made 15 appearances.

He’s scored in double figures five times this season and dropped a season-high 18 against Cal St. Fullerton a couple games ago. Averaging 11.9 points per game, he makes nearly 50% of shots from deep. On the glass, he also corrals about five rebounds per game, the second highest on the Big Red.

Published on December 4, 2023 at 8:59 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini