Syracuse (5-2) has won three games in a row and will face off with Northeastern (4-4) on Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome. The Huskies have won back-to-back games, including an 81-67 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday. SU eked out a tight win over Cornell on Saturday, winning 63-55.

Here’s what our beat writers predict to happen on Tuesday night.

Charlie DiSturco (5-2)
By the leash
Syracuse 72, Northeastern 61

This game is an interesting one. Northeastern has a very capable offense led by Jordan Roland, who is shooting lights out of late, but the Huskies are without leader Vasa Pusica due to injury. But Northeastern’s defensive woes will be the difference in Syracuse pulling away at the end versus a tight contest down the wire. The Huskies rank 289th in defensive 3-point percentage and 323rd in 2-point field-goal percentage, per Kenpom.com. If Syracuse uses its athleticism to fight inside the paint, the Orange should have no problem taking down the Huskies.

Matthew Gutierrez (4-3)
Sweet escape
Syracuse 65, Northeastern 58

Don’t take Northeastern lightly. The Huskies are 6-6 against Power 5 opponents over the past five seasons. SU head coach Jim Boeheim said he picked the Northeastern game for a challenge, given they’re picked to win their league. The Boston school can ball. It’ll be interesting to see how Frank Howard, Elijah Hughes and Paschal Chukwu respond one game after the trio didn’t produce.

Billy Heyen (6-1)
Not these Huskies
Syracuse 74, Northeastern 64

Syracuse struggled with a Cornell team that isn’t as good as Northeastern, with Tyus Battle saying after that game that the Orange “weren’t ready to play.” He added that if they played like that on Tuesday, they’d lose. The Huskies bring in a top-30 offense in the nation, per Kenpom.com, and four players that average double figures. But the Orange should have Elijah Hughes back on his game after a rough Saturday, and that should make the difference.

Published on December 3, 2018 at 11:17 pm