Unranked Syracuse (3-2) travels to Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday night to take on No. 16 Ohio State (6-0) in SU’s only true road game until Jan. 5 at Notre Dame. The Orange are coming off a blowout win over Colgate last week, while the Buckeyes are rolling to an undefeated start that propelled them from unranked to No. 16 in the country this week.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Charlie DiSturco (3-1)
That ain’t it
Syracuse 65, Ohio State 71

Syracuse’s offense has yet to figure itself out, and Wednesday will be another step backwards. The Orange’s shots have yet to fall and SU currently ranks in the bottom 10 among NCAA Division I teams in 3-point field goal percentage. Even with Frank Howard back at the point, Syracuse’s offense still needs some time to develop. Meanwhile, Ohio State ranks in the top 20 in both 2-point and 3-point defensive field-goal percentage, per Kenpom.com. That’s a recipe for disaster, and another loss for the struggling Orange.

Billy Heyen (3-1)
THE upset bid
Syracuse 69, Ohio State 63

Ohio State, on paper, has done basically everything this season better than Syracuse. But SU’s season has featured just 19 minutes of Frank Howard, who returned on Nov. 21 against Colgate. He shores up the Orange’s defense and their offense. OSU just moved up to No. 16 in the country on Monday, where Syracuse began the season ranked. The Buckeyes haven’t allowed more than 62 points to any team this season. But I think 30 minutes of Howard gets SU past that hump and buoys the defense enough to hold Ohio State in the 60s, giving the Orange a signature upset on the road.

Matthew Gutierrez (2-2)
The 50-50 start
Ohio State 65, Syracuse 60

The Buckeyes already got an idea of Syracuse’s (lackluster) defense against Samford’s 2-3 zone. OSU shot 3-for-20 from deep in that game, but make no mistake: Ohio State moves the ball inside and out — a formula UConn and Oregon utilized to haunt the Orange in New York City. Kaleb Wesson in the high post area could create some issues, because he can shoot and pass from there. Consider this game to be close, though Syracuse won’t win unless its interior defense tightens up big time for this primetime matchup to close out the first month of the season.

Published on November 28, 2018 at 11:02 am