Syracuse (13-8, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) had its three-game win streak snapped against Virginia, but it has a chance to get another win against a ranked opponent on Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Orange face No. 25 Notre Dame (14-5, 5-2).

Here’s how our beat writers think the game will unfold.

Sam Blum (15-6)
Notre Dame 85, Syracuse 75
Dame Shame

Notre Dame spends 19 seconds with the ball on an average possession, per Kenpom.com, and is one of the best scoring teams in the country. The Fighting Irish put up 95 points at Cameron Indoor Arena, and scored at least 81 in seven of their first eight wins. Syracuse is playing its best basketball of the season of late, with the majority of its rotation players stepping up in big moments. Thursday’s game will be a high quality, high-scoring affair. Syracuse will make it fun, but the final five minute woes will still exist as Syracuse skids off the NCAA Tournament bubble a little farther.

Jesse Dougherty (15-6)
Notre Dame 76, Syracuse 69
Not the point

Even without star point guard Demetrius Jackson, the No. 25 Fighting Irish hands the Orange its second straight loss by running up the score. Steve Vasturia is a dual-threat guard who can beat the zone in a lot of ways, and SU’s biggest problem — defending the post — again proves fatal with Zach Auguste and Bonzie Colson dominating the paint for UND. Trevor Cooney has had a lot of success against Notre Dame the past two years and he’ll continue that streak. But one of Michael Gbinije and Malachi Richardson doesn’t do his part, and the Orange can’t out-punch Notre Dame because of it.

Matt Schneidman (14-7)
Syracuse 71, Notre Dame 70
Getting lucky

Vasturia can stretch the floor and V.J. Beachem is a 6-foot-8 forward who leads the Fighting Irish in 3-pointers taken, 3-pointers made and shooting percentage from beyond the arc. UND has the offensive weapons to blow the roof off the Carrier Dome, but it’s most important piece will be sitting on the bench for the entire game. Jackson averages a team-high 16.6 points per game and controls an offense that takes a methodical 19 seconds out of each possession, which ranks as one of the slowest offenses in Division I. Gbinije and “Irish Killer” Cooney take advantage of a backcourt without the junior and find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow before a streak of “winnable” ACC games, if there are such things.

Published on January 27, 2016 at 11:56 pm