Syracuse Set to Welcome One of Big 10’s Top Dogs

Syracuse men’s basketball (3-3) is fresh off an 89-68 loss to #19 Auburn (5-1) in the final game of its trip to the Bahamas. The Orange went 1-2 in the Battle 4 Atlantis mid-season tournament and finished sixth out of eight teams.

Now SU shifts its focus to Tuesday night’s ACC/Big 10 Challenge with undefeated Indiana (6-0) inside the Dome. The Hoosiers opened the season with six home wins against mid-major schools (Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, St. John’s, Louisiana, Jackson State, and Marshall).

Through the first six games, Indiana is tied for the 18th best scoring margin in the country at +20 and is allowing teams 57.2 points per game. It’s something to watch on Tuesday considering Syracuse scores 78.7 points per game.

Last season, Indiana went 12-15 and fired four-year head coach Archie Miller after the season. With that, the Hoosiers had some decisions to make in terms of personnel and they wasted no time hiring former IU and NBA player Mike Woodson. Woodson (63) played at Indiana from 1976-80 and was drafted 12th overall by the New York Knicks in 1980. He was the head coach of New York from 2012-14 and also led the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-2010.

Woodson, who was known more for his defense than his offense during his playing days, stressed the importance of defense to his team from the onset and it’s paid off so far.

“When I took over, I expected the defense to be ahead of the offense because I’ve always coached that way,” Woodson said. “I put the defense ahead of the offense because I know defense. If you get a solid foundation and everybody buys in you give yourself a chance to win ball games.”

Indiana had guards Armaan Franklin (11.4 ppg) and Al Durham (11.3 ppg), two of its top three scorers from 2020, transfer out of the program after last season. Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was the team’s leading scorer in 2020 averaging 19.1 points per game and decided to stay after being convinced by Woodson.

“I’m going to beg for him to stay with me,” Woodson said in the off-season. “I think I can help him develop and get him to the next level.”

The 6’9 sophomore currently leads the team in points (20.5) and blocks (3.8) per game and is second in assists (2.5) and rebounds (7.7) per game. In the team’s 90-79 win against Marshall on Saturday night, he had a career-high 43 points on 18-24 shooting and five blocks in 37 minutes.

Although the Indiana-native leads the team in scoring, Woodson loves his basketball IQ and team-first mentality.

“He’s going to be trapped a lot this year,” Woodson said. “When he gets it they trap him and he makes great passes out of the zone. Sometimes he’s going to be able to beat the traps and sometimes he's going to have to sacrifice the ball for the sake of the team. That’s just good offense, that’s what I call it.”

Indiana played against a zone defense two games back in its 35-point win over Jackson State. Woodson admitted after the game that he’s slightly unfamiliar with the zone from his time in the NBA.

“I asked my coaches coming in at halftime if that’s kind of how Syracuse extends its zone,” Woodson said. “I don’t see a lot of zones in the NBA, so this is new for me and I’m just kind of navigating my way through it.”

Syracuse is once again led by guard Buddy Boeheim. The senior leads the team in points per contest (20), is second in assists per game (3), and third in steals per game (1.2). Last season as a junior, the Fayetteville-native averaged 17.8 points.

A bright spot in the team’s .500 start has been center Jesse Edwards. The sophomore is averaging 11.8 points, about 10 more than last season (1.9). The 6’11 big man has the team lead in blocks per game (2.7) and averages 5.3 rebounds, the third-most on the team.

In the past, Syracuse has somewhat struggled in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge. The Orange are 3-5 with wins over Indiana, Ohio State, and Maryland. SU has lost to Wisconsin (twice), Michigan, Iowa, and Rutgers.

The Orange are 5-1 all-time against Indiana and have won five straight. SU’s only loss to the Hoosiers was a 74-73 buzzer-beater in the 1987 National Championship Game.

Tipoff from inside the Dome is set for 6:30 p.m. this Tuesday. WAER’s coverage gets underway at 7 p.m. with GZA Countdown to Tipoff.