Syracuse men’s basketball hopes to end non-conference play strong against Stonehill

Syracuse men’s basketball (8-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) rounds out non-conference play against Stonehill (3-9, 0-0 Northeast Conference) on Monday at 7 p.m.

It’s the first ever meeting between the two programs and the third ACC team the Skyhawks have faced since elevating to Division I in 2022.

Since SU was upset by Hofstra on December 13, the 'Cuse has won its last two against Mercyhurst and Northeastern. The Orange can conclude a rollercoaster of a non-conference slate against the Skyhawks before ACC action kicks off with Clemson on New Year’s Eve.

Syracuse guard Naithan George shined in SU’s 91-83 win over Northeastern on Saturday. The junior tallied a season-high 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, shooting 5-8 from the field. 12 of George’s 22 points came from the charity stripe. Head Coach Adrian Autry had nothing but praise for SU’s point guard in the victory.

“He was big for us. I thought he controlled the game, especially late. The ball was in his hands. He made the right plays. He was strong with the ball, got to the foul line and knocked them down,” he said.

Another issue Syracuse addressed coming into the contest was the group’s free throw struggles. Entering Saturday, the Orange sat bottom-two in the country with 58% efficiency from the line. However, the 'Cuse went 75% from the charity stripe against Mercyhurst and 71% against Northeastern. Autry was pleased with his team’s improvement, especially in late-game situations .

“We just have to keep working on our free throws. We’ve been doing that as of lately and you are starting to see some payoff. We just have to keep staying and working at it. When it counted they stepped up and made it. I think that’s something you pull from and reinforce as well,” he said.

George and the Orange have one more chance to tune things up against Stonehill before conference play begins. The Skyhawks are one of the best perimeter defenses in the Northeast Conference. Stonehill holds opponents to 31.9% from three, the second lowest mark in the conference.

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Syracuse’s showing against Northeastern isn’t so promising if the Orange want to have success from beyond the arc against the Skyhawks. In the 'Cuse’s win, it shot 25% from deep. SU guard JJ Starling hit one of the Orange’s three shots from range. Over his last three games, the senior has caught fire, notching 5-11 from three.

Additionally, The Orange have a chance to polish up their defense before conference play. The Skyhawks offense ranks sixth out of the ten teams in the Northeast Conference, recording 69.7 points per game. However, Autry emphasized his team’s need for improvement on the defensive side of the ball after it allowed 83 points to Northeastern.

“I was disappointed in our defensive effort. We have to get back to the fundamentals of keeping people in front of us. We just haven’t been able to get our defensive intensity sustained since the Tennessee game. We have to continue to get that grit and toughness we had,” he said.

Stonehill head coach Chris Kraus and company come into the Dome with the hopes of pulling off an upset. Kraus is in his thirteenth season with the Skyhawks, holding a 163-160 record. He’s also the first Canadian-born coach to take the helm of an NCAA men’s basketball program. Kraus went 15-17 last year with Stonehill, falling to FDU in the first round of the NEC conference tournament.

Returning Stonehill guard Hermann Koffi is going to be a challenge for Syracuse. The sophomore leads the team in points with 15.3 per contest (fifth best in the NEC) and is second on the squad in three point (42.2%) and free throw percentage (88.9%).

Coverage begins on 88.3FM and waer.org with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 6:30 p.m. ET.