One day after moving up from No. 19 to No. 18 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Syracuse (1-0) faces Holy Cross (0-1) in the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m. The Orange throttled Colgate in its first game, 83-55.

Check out how our beat writers think SU will fair against Holy Cross.

Connor Grossman (1-0)
Cross off another
Syracuse 76, Holy Cross 51

Syracuse’s starters seem to be significantly more cohesive, even since their first exhibition two weeks ago. That’s the group SU leans on to stake themselves to a comfortable lead, including the first sizable contributions on offense from Tyler Lydon. The talented sophomore pitched in only two points in the season opener on Friday, and has yet to make a 3-pointer in any of the Orange’s three contests (two exhibitions).

Matt Schneidman (1-0)
Crossed up
Syracuse 73, Holy Cross 54

The Crusaders fell by 32 to a future Syracuse opponent, South Carolina, in their season opener. This should be another tune-up game for the hosts, who handily beat Colgate last Friday behind a balanced attack that saw its presumed best player score only two points. Look for Lydon to be more involved in the offense during game two, and Tyus Battle to formally introduce himself to the Carrier Dome crowd with a night in the high teens off the bench.

Paul Schwedelson (1-0)
Holy Moly
Syracuse 67, Holy Cross 49

The Orange gets out to another early lead and sustains it throughout the game. Holy Cross allowed South Carolina to shoot 50 percent from behind the arc and Syracuse’s shooters are salivating at the chance to slip into open space on the perimeter. I’d expect Andrew White to improve from 3 after going 2-for-7 against Colgate.

Published on November 14, 2016 at 11:33 pm