After a statement win on Sunday, Syracuse men’s basketball (8-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) takes on Niagara (3-6, 0-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) in its final non-conference matchup Thursday. The Orange enter the contest on a three-game win streak, while the Purple Eagles won their last two matchups.
SU’s offense has caught fire as of late. Syracuse tallied over 80 points in each of its last three games and relied heavily on its second-half scoring. In the final 20 minutes, the Orange averaged 47 points in that three-game span. Against Oregon, SU tallied 50 second-half points, the second most in a half this year. Head coach Adrian Autry thinks that the squad is peaking at the right time.
“I thought we played our best game this year,” said Autry following the 20-point victory in South Dakota. “I’ve been really impressed with our bench. I’ve been preaching this since July, we can go nine, ten, sometimes 11 deep depending on the game.”
44 bench points 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Rby0KgOSLD
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) December 17, 2023
Individually, Judah Mintz continues to be the star of the show. The sophomore led Syracuse in scoring in all three matchups, including a 28 point performance against Cornell.
“When he’s making his shots, he’s really tough to guard,” head coach Adrian Autry said.
The next week versus Georgetown, the sophomore continued where he left off. Mintz supplied 25 in the Orange victory, while also leading the team in assists. In SU’s last game, the Maryland native tallied 18 points and five assists.
On the opposing side, Niagara has struggled defensively this season. The Purple Tiger’s defense ranks second to last in the MAAC with nearly 76 points allowed a game. Niagara gave up more than 90 twice already in losses to St. Bonaventure and Hawaii earlier this year.
Syracuse defeated Niagara 75-45 the last time the two squads matched up back in 2020. The Orange dominated the glass with 51 rebounds, and held the Purple Tigers to just 17 points in the second half.
Syracuse and Niagara battle Thursday at 5 p.m. WAER’s coverage starts at 4:30 p.m. with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.