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Syracuse (1-0) hosts Niagara in the Carrier Dome on Thursday, six days after narrowly holding off Byrant in its season opener. 

The Purple Eagles, who have yet to play a game this season, returned to practice three days ago after pausing all men’s basketball activities since at least Nov. 9 due to COVID-19. Marcus Hammond, who led Niagara in scoring last year at 14.3 points per game, headlines the team’s rotation.

Here’s what The Daily Orange’s beat writers think will happen when the Orange face Niagara:

Andrew Crane (1-0)
Taking flight
Syracuse 75, Niagara 55

Bryant gave Syracuse a scare on Friday, arguably playing well enough to win in the Orange’s first season-opening, single-digit victory since 2007-08 (NIT Season Tip-Off against Siena). This game against Niagara shouldn’t be close, though. 

The Purple Eagles don’t have a ton of size, which allowed SU to build a large lead and hold on last year in the Carrier Dome. But after ranking 287th in experience in 2019-20, Niagara returns leading scorer Hammond and other key parts of the rotation. 

What the Orange do at center if Marek Doelzaj gets into foul trouble will be interesting, but this will be Syracuse’s first blowout of nonconference play. The Orange will use a regular practice schedule and a stronger defensive performance to play a clean game.

Anthony Dabbundo (1-0)
No panic here
Syracuse 85, Niagara 68

Bryant’s near opening-day win against Syracuse should remind Orange fans that the same issues that plagued last year’s team appear to be back. The defensive issues seem real, but Niagara isn’t the team to exploit them due to their lack of size presence on the inside. The Purple Eagles also ranked last in height in the NCAA last year, making Niagara exactly the team the Orange can easily play small and fast against.

Much like last year, the Orange jump out to an early double-digit halftime lead and cruise to the finish. Niagara stays inside the point spread as head coach Jim Boeheim experiments with some of his bench options to see what he has from his younger centers and backups. 

Niagara might be able to make enough 3s to keep themselves in the game, but taking away 3s will be the sole defensive focus of this Orange defense, and Syracuse is much more talented at every position. Tougher games loom ahead, but the Orange easily improve to 2-0. 

Danny Emerman (1-0)
Hit the panic button
Syracuse 71, Niagara 66

My guess is sheer talent wins on Thursday, but I expect another close game. The loss of Bourama Sidibe will hurt Syracuse in the long run, but Niagara’s lack of size should allow SU to temporarily overcome it. One of Niagara’s shooters will get hot in the first half and Syracuse will lock him down in the second half, which will be enough to squeak out another win. But if Joseph Girard III struggles again and Dolezaj picks up early fouls, Syracuse could be in trouble.

Published on December 2, 2020 at 4:24 pm