The Syracuse Men’s Basketball team is riding a three-game winning streak. These wins have all been against ACC teams and have given the Orange a 4-3 record in conference. SU has also notched two notable wins against both Virginia and Virginia Tech. Wednesday, Jim Boeheim and team have the opportunity for revenge. Last time these two teams faced off, it was a heartbreaker for the Cuse. The team lost by one after Joe Girard III hit a long three and it looked like he got fouled to put him on the line for an opportunity to tie the game.
Girard is going to be a player to watch in this one. In the last game against the Fighting Irish, he and Prentiss Hubb got into it a bit, resulting in Hubb receiving a technical foul for stepping over Girard III. After the interaction, the freshman couldn’t miss from behind the arch. He went for 3 for 3 from three in the last five minutes. It will be interesting to see how these two square up for round two. Girard has had back-to-back quiet games scoring under 15 points. He is just waiting to have another 20 point performance.
There can not be conversation about point production without talking about Buddy Boeheim. Boeheim was unstoppable in the first half against the Hokies and scored 18 straight points to give Syracuse the lead into half time. Against Boston College, Boeheim had another 20-point performance. Good news for the Orange is that Boeheim also had a 20-point performance last time out against Notre Dame. He lead the SU in points scored that game. He will probably continue to have the hot hand.
John Mooney was the leading scorer for the Fighting Irish last time around. He scored 28 points but the more impressive stat is that he notched 14 rebounds, which was the more than all others. Boards have been a struggle for Syracuse this season. In this same game Marek Dolezaj also had 10 rebounds. Dolezaj has been a rebounding machine and has recorded back-to-back double-doubles. Both of these players will compete to give their teams more offensive opportunities.
Hubb and T.J. Gibbs were part of the three-headed monster that the Orange could not stop. They both scored over 20-point, giving the Fighting Irish three 20-point performers. Syracuse has the opportunity to keep up if they have its only big three to keep up with the prolific scoring Notre Dame brings to the table.
Rebounding will be stifled if Bourama Sidibe continues to ride the bench. In the game against VT, Sidibe looked to have gotten himself in some trouble with coach and sat most of the game. We’ll see if he gets another chance on Wednesday.
The Orange is finally piquing at the right time. A win against the Fighting Irish in the Joyce Center would continue to give SU a chance to be a dark horse force in the ACC. This team just went on the road and knocked off Virginia and Virginia Tech. At this point, some might have more confidence in them as an away team than winning in the Dome.