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Despite dominating in its head-to-head matchup by a dominant 127-47 margin, Syracuse hasn’t defeated Colgate since the 2019-20 season.

Two years ago, the Orange gave up 18 3-pointers in a 100-85 loss. And last season, the Raiders bested their prior performance by notching 19 makes behind the arc in an 80-68 victory. Following the most recent of both defeats, then-head coach Jim Boeheim said the Orange had “no chance to play them (Colgate) man-to-man.”

But now, Syracuse has the length and athleticism to contain Colgate’s trigger-happy shooters. Adrian Autry has made that clear since the preseason. The Raiders also lost star guard Tucker Richardson, who registered a game-high 30 points in the JMA Wireless Dome in 2022.

Here’s what our beat writers expect to happen when Syracuse takes on Colgate:

Cole Bambini (2-0)

Revenge, finally
Syracuse 84, Colgate 70

Colgate’s caused a lot of problems for Syracuse, mainly from beyond the arc. Fortunately, for the Orange, Richardson, who made eight of them, graduated and both squads have different makeups compared to a year ago.

I think Syracuse needs to stick to man-to-man as much as it can throughout. The 2-3 is still new to many players and the Raiders exposed the corner shot last year. With man, there will be tighter perimeter defense by Judah Mintz and J.J. Starling. Autry also tends to go deeper into his bench, reducing any fatigue and foul trouble.

Offensively, Syracuse needs to be aggressive. When it settled for quick, perimeter shots, it allowed New Hampshire and Canisius to trickle back into the game. But staying inside and scoring in the paint — where Syracuse has scored at least 55% of its points in both games — will be the most effective. I think this game will follow a similar trend to the first two, with Syracuse pulling away with a 3-0 start before heading to Honolulu.

Henry O’Brien (2-0)

Squeaking by
Syracuse 74, Colgate 72

Oddly enough, this game will be a litmus test possibly for the rest of the season. It might be silly to say because Syracuse hasn’t played a single conference game. But Colgate has beaten the Orange two years in a row after not winning since Jim Boeheim was a college student.

Over the past three seasons, the Raiders have been one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. This can be the achilles heel of a 2-3 zone.

But now SU is playing a man-to-man defense, and I believe there will be an improvement in defending from deep. The Raiders no longer have their best 3-point shooter in Oliver Lynch-Daniels and their best overall player in Richardson. Braeden Smith is still around, but the Orange’s superior talent will overcome Colgate.

There still will be struggles in stopping 3-pointers, though. Syracuse gave up 10 3-pointers to Canisius and Autry said his team needs to defend the line better. But expect Mintz, Starling and Justin Taylor to have impressive offensive outputs. There’s a world where they lose, though. This game is a coin flip in my eyes, and it will go in the favor of the Orange.

Tyler Schiff (2-0)

A real defensive test
Syracuse 85, Colgate 78

Syracuse receives its first real test Tuesday hosting Colgate. Yes, the defense looked shaky at times against New Hampshire and Canisius, but SU never really looked threatened. Now, it faces the historically sharpshooting Raiders, who have canned 37 combined 3-pointers in consecutive wins over the Orange.

The Raiders boast nine returners from last season, not including Richardson. Despite not having one of his best shooters, don’t expect 13-year head coach Matt Langel to shy away from Colgate’s traditional reliance on the outside shot.

SU’s guards will have their hands full chasing opposition around the perimeter and scampering over pin-down screens. But like Autry has preached, their athleticism should prove the difference. Offensively, Syracuse’s quick transition play will be too much for the Raiders to handle, and if Bell can match Taylor’s production from 3 through the young season so far, the Orange should have no problem improving to 3-0.

Published on November 13, 2023 at 11:21 pm