The Syracuse Men’s Basketball team started their season with a disappointing 34 point performance against the reigning national champions Virginia team. Wednesday, the Orange have a chance to bounce back against Colgate. The Raiders will serve as a test for Syracuse as another team that made the NCAA tournament last season.
SU needs to spark its scoring offense. Elijah Hughes is looked to for the majority offense. Against the Cavaliers, Hughes scored 14 points. It wasn’t one of his more impressive performances but he was still in double-digits, which is what this team needs from him every game. The problem was that the next leading scorer was Buddy Boeheim, who only scored seven points. Boeheim is known for his reliable three-point shooting but was only one of eight from behind the arc last week. The Orange need another scoring threat to pair with Hughes. The Raiders will give SU plenty of opportunities to see who can step up behind Hughes. Whether that is Boeheim or one of the newcomers. When Colgate played Clemson last week, they allowed the Tigers to attempt 60 shots from the field.
Another problem Syracuse seems to have is offensive rebounding. In their home opener, the Orange were outrebounded, in total, 47to 28. It seems simple enough but rebounding fuels a team’s abilities to score. If you have the ball more, you get more opportunities to score. SU needs to win the battle at the glass. The Raiders do not struggle as much in this category. They were outrebounded but not such a large margin. This game will be determined by how each team rebounds.
Will Rayman is a consistent force on offense this season for Colgate. In the first two games of the season, Rayman has been in the top-three in scoring. He has not been their lead-scorer in either week but has been a reliable supplement to whoever is the lead-scorer that night. Rayman hits the three-point shot with accuracy even though it is not his main form of scoring. This makes him dynamic and someone
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the Orange should keep their eyes on while defending.
Speaking of the Syracuse defense, it should not be glossed over that this defense held ranked Virginia to only 48 total points. The leading scorer for the Cavaliers only notch 12 points. Hughes had more than that in the loss. Where rebounding is a problem for the offense, the defense rebounds well. 20 of the 28 rebound for the Orange happened on the defensive end of the floor. The Raiders also have a lopsided offensive to defensive disparagement. That is why rebounding will be key for both teams.
SU has been very successful in the best against Colgate. Syracuse is currently riding a 14-game winning streak against the Raiders. They have never lost in the matchup history. The Orange should not overlook this team because both teams have similar offensive rebounds, but the Raiders know how to score points. This game will also serve as a way to see how Syracuse matches up with the rest of the ACC. Colgate is not in the conference but they did play Clemson last week, so spectators will be able to see which team matched up against the Raiders better.