Sam Blum (6-3)
Syracuse 82, St. John’s 69
New York’s College Team

That’s always the question, isn’t it? Whose state is it? Last year it belonged to the Johnnies, but this isn’t the same Red Storm team. Syracuse reasserts itself in its home away from home in front of a partisan Orange crowd.

Jesse Dougherty (6-3)
Syracuse 77, St. John’s 55
Driving through the storm

St. John’s has a lot of young talent, but it’s knee-deep in a rebuilding process and lost to Fordham (Fordham!) by 16 points on Dec. 2. The Red Storm also gave up 93 points in a win over Chaminade. St. John’s’ most recent result is a 48-44 win over a Niagara team that lost to Vermont by 18, Youngstown State by 18 … You get the point. Syracuse shouldn’t allow the Red Storm to even sniff a win in Madison Square Garden on Sunday, and anything less than a lopsided win would be disappointing for the Orange.

Matt Schneidman (6-3)
Syracuse 71, St. John’s 60
Bright lights

For Syracuse’s standout freshmen, Madison Square Garden is the biggest stage they’ll have played on yet. The Red Storm have had a less-than-stellar beginning to the season and Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon, two players who struggled in Syracuse’s back-to-back losses but got back on track against Colgate, will lead the Orange to a convincing victory. MSG is the platform for jumping up another peg as Syracuse tries to climb back into the Top 25.