Syracuse (8-3) takes on Montana State (5-6) in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday, in the two teams’ second matchup ever. The Orange can push interim head coach Mike Hopkins’ record to 3-2 with a win against the Bobcats.

See how our beat writers think the game will unfold.

Sam Blum (7-4)
Syracuse 88, Montana State 55
Throwback

Syracuse defeated Montana State 88-55 in the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament. That was their only meeting ever. On Tuesday, the score might not be the exact same, but there’s no reason it couldn’t be. The Bobcats play some of the worst defense in college basketball, and the Orange’s superiority will exploit that in a massive win. It might not be the same do-or-die pressure of a March Madness matchup, but it’s the holidays and the Orange will send Montana State back home with some coal.

Jesse Dougherty (7-4)
Syracuse 71, Montana State 54
Cat and mouse

Montana State defends the perimeter well, but Syracuse finds a Battle-4-Atlantis-esque shooting stroke to celebrate the holiday season. And when the Bobcats press out to try and stymie the Orange’s aerial attack, SU pounds it inside off the dribble and pulls away with a convincing double-digit win. It’s not enough to salvage an increasingly embarrassing loss to St. John’s, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Matt Schneidman (7-4)
Syracuse 81, Montana State 51
Stocking stuffers

It’s been quite some time since Syracuse has been clicking on all cylinders for 40 minutes but this might be one of those nights. A nice gift for Syracuse fans would be for Trevor Cooney to start hot and Dajuan Coleman to assert himself down low. Those two things will fill the stockings of the sub-20,000 in attendance, and Syracuse gives the fans some hope for the holiday season by moving to 9-3, albeit against a far inferior opponent.

Published on December 21, 2015 at 9:29 pm