Syracuse (14-9, 7-5 Atlantic Coast) finishes a three-game homestand on Tuesday with a matchup against North Carolina State (15-8, 6-6) at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. SU recently ended a two-game skid, beating Wake Forest in the final seconds on Feb. 8.

Here’s what our beat writers predict for Tuesday’s tilt:

Nick Alvarez (16-7)
Ahead of the Pack
Syracuse 84, NC State 73

A weird season got weirder on Saturday. But expect the status quo to be enforced here. Syracuse is probably a top-four ACC team, and it’s at home after a momentum-building win. North Carolina State should create a close second-half, but the zone should snuff out another offense lacking a main threat. C.J. Bryce might cause issues, but SU’s zone hasn’t broken yet. And eventually SU needs to shoot out of its 3-point slump. Give me the Orange.

Michael McCleary (15-8)
The team that cried wolf
Syracuse 81, NC State 79

Once upon a time, the Wolfpack were in a similar position the Orange are in this game: the favorite. Syracuse has come a long way since the beginning of the season, and NC State has seemingly gone in the opposite direction. But I have a feeling Syracuse will make fans with eyes on the NCAA Tournament sweat on multiple occasions down the stretch. This is a candidate for one of the closer games SU has left, one in which the better Syracuse team will win.

Josh Schafer (16-7)
Another winning streak?
Syracuse 78 North Carolina State 72

This is a prediction predicated on no foul-outs. Just kidding, sort of. Syracuse learned last game that it needs to play smarter and Tuesday will be the first test of that. On paper, NC State is a good matchup for Syracuse, particularly with SU at home. The Wolfpack hasn’t lit up the scoreboard this year and scores the majority of its points inside the 3-point arc. NC State lacks a dominant big-man presence which bodes well for the Orange. Especially if the Orange shoots the 3-ball well, it can create a difference that NC State won’t be able to keep up with.

Published on February 10, 2020 at 11:00 pm