Syracuse is returning to the Dome after a trip to the Empire Classic that yielded mixed results. SU won its first matchup 74-71, a thrilling overtime victory over Richmond that saw Joe Girard go for a new career-high of 31 points. ‘Cuse’s second game in Brooklyn also went to overtime, but St. John’s came out on top 76-69. Despite the loss in game two, head coach Jim Boeheim was proud of the way his team performed.
“We came down here and I thought we played as well as we can play for two days,” Boeheim said. “We played two really good teams here. We’ve been better already from this. It’s a good experience.”
One player that shined in both contests was freshman Judah Mintz, who is carving out a significant offensive role. The guard scored 16 points in the win against Richmond, and then notched his second 20-point game of the year in the loss to St. John’s. Mintz is now averaging a team-high 18 points per game, and shooting better than 50% from the field. Boeheim praised his point guard’s conditioning, while also noting that the strain of back-to-back overtime contests was beginning to weigh on him.
“Judah’s in tremendous shape,” Boeheim said, “He got tired a little bit at the end, that’s to be expected.”
LISTEN: The freshman phenom Judah Mintz knows how to get the SU crowd excited. @johnnygwitz told us why.
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Syracuse squares off with Bryant on Saturday afternoon, the second matchup between the two schools in the last three seasons. The Orange opened their 2020 season against the Bulldogs, narrowly winning 85-84. Bryant is off to a 4-1 start to the year, good for first place in the America East conference, and the school’s best five game start as a D1 program.
The two main scoring threats for Bryant are guards Sherif Gross-Bullock and Charles Pride, a native of Liverpool, New York. The two seniors both average more than 17 points per game, and both shoot better than 45% from deep. Another name that fans may recognize is a transfer, Doug Edert. Edert was a star for Saint Peter’s in its unexpected NCAA tournament run last year, which saw the 15-seed Peacocks make it to the elite eight. The senior guard is averaging a career-best 11.2 points per game as a Bulldog.
Tip-off from inside the JMA Wireless Dome is scheduled for 4 p.m. this Saturday. WAER’s coverage gets started at 3:30 with McClurg Team Countdown to Tip-off.