Climate Clash: Syracuse men’s basketball begins three-game home stand against Miami

Syracuse men's basketball (12-5, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) will not travel again until the end of January, as it returns to the JMA Wireless Dome to begin a three-game home stand against Miami (12-5, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Orange have won 10-of-12 meetings with the Hurricanes in the Dome.

SU rebounded with a much-needed victory over Pittsburgh on Tuesday after suffering its worst-ever ACC loss at North Carolina.

"You have to be able to watch that stuff; you can't just watch when you perform well," head coach Adrian Autry said. "I thought we communicated a lot better."

The Orange swept the season series against the Panthers, and they had their strongest 3-point shooting performance of the season, going 10-for-17 from distance.

"We really attacked the lane, looked at our shot, and then kicked it out," Autry said. "All of the shots were in rhythm. I didn't see any forced shots, and no one-dribbles, just pulling up in transition."

Guard J.J. Starling highlighted the Orange with a team-leading 17 points, which was the second-best scoring output of the year.

“J.J., he came to play today,” Autry said. “That was his best game in this uniform. He defended. He made big shots. I thought he was aggressive and attacked.”

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Despite an excellent performance from beyond the arc in its victory over Pitt, Syracuse's next game against Miami might not be as easy. The Hurricanes limit opponents to just 29% from three, the best in the ACC. Miami is also one of the best offensive teams in the conference, averaging over 83 points a night. The Canes average roughly 41 percent from beyond the arc, which is among the top 3-point shooting teams in the country because of junior Wooga Poplar, the best 3-point shooter in the conference.

However, Miami is on a slippery slope right now, having lost to Louisville and Florida State in their previous two home games and losing three of its last four.

The Hurricanes have had difficulty sticking to a primary ball-handler since 2023 ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong left for the NBA. Each of the six Miami players with the most minutes has a minimum of 1.5 turnovers per game.

The Orange will have their hands full in the paint with forward Norchad Omier, a double-double machine. On Wednesday, the junior recorded his league-best eighth double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing 15 rebounds against Florida State. Omier is one of 14 Division-I players that has had at least 15 points and 15 rebounds across multiple games this season.

Syracuse and Miami meet for the 33rd time on the hardwood on Saturday at 12 p.m. WAER's coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with the McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.