Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Syracuse finally overcame its woes in Atlantic Coast Conference play with an eight-point win against Pittsburgh on Sunday. A litany of 3-pointers and all five starters finishing with double figures returned for the Orange in the Carrier Dome for the first time since mid-December. The team is winless on the road in four games so far, and travels down to Florida to face an inconsistent Miami team.

SU just finished its toughest stretch of the season, one that acting head coach Vonn Read knew would test the Orange and their short bench. The win against Pittsburgh was “just a matter of time,” Read said, one where all the good shots SU had been taking finally paid off. The Orange are looking to continue that success against Miami, which is coming off a close, three-point loss to No. 4 Louisville.

Here’s all you need to know about the Hurricanes (11-8, 4-5 ACC) before they square off with Syracuse (9-10, 2-7 ACC).

All-time series

Miami leads 19-12.

Last time they played

Syracuse beat Miami on the road in its fourth game of the season last year, then it scorched the Hurricanes after a 28-day COVID-19 pause in a 35-point victory at home. Led by Priscilla Williams’ career-high 26 points, the Orange notched their highest single-game scoring total since 2016. Emily Engstler notched a double-double off the bench, and SU shot a combined 56.7% from deep and 64.4% from the field.

Led by a 3-point shooting performance that tied the Dome’s single-game record for 3s, the Orange jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the opening quarter and finished the first 10 minutes with a 32-14 lead. The win marked the second of an eventual three-game winning streak during conference play.

The Hurricanes report

Miami has struggled shooting from all three levels this year and averages just 61.8 points per game, which has bitten the Hurricanes in winnable games against Washington State, Indiana and Wake Forest. They’ve scored fewer than 50 points four times this season, behind a 39.4% shooting percentage from the field and 28.9% rate from deep, both of which rank in the bottom third of the conference.

Miami is also as unsuccessful when it comes to rebounding as the Orange have been this season, with no player averaging more than Lola Pendande’s 5.58 per game. Kelsey Marshall has been a bright spot, leading the Hurricanes with 14 points per game, but nothing about the way this Miami team has performed this season screams anything more than subpar offensive play.

How Syracuse beats Miami

Syracuse can beat Miami the same way it beat Pittsburgh: thrive in transition and continue hitting shots from deep. Prior to the season, the expectation was that the Orange would beat teams by shooting the lights out, especially with Chrislyn Carr and Najé Murray as proven sharpshooters. Unfortunately, Syracuse frequently experiences streaky performances from those two — and from the team overall. The evidence so far this season doesn’t point to a repeat performance in Coral Gables, but with the Orange, it’s always possible.

Miami doesn’t allow a ton of steals or turnovers, so Syracuse has to really pressure the Hurricanes in the middle third of the court in order to force the 20 or more turnovers that Murray said the team wants each game. If the Orange do that and continue to apply the pressure on a Miami team that hardly scores, they should have no problem notching their first road win of the season.

Player to watch: Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, No. 33, forward

Aside from Djaldi-Tabdi being another former Syracuse player that transferred to an ACC school and her 6-foot-4 height making her a dominant presence in the paint, she’s coming off the bench for the Hurricanes. Read has said multiple times — specifically following losses to Louisville and Notre Dame — that the opponent’s depth has worn the Orange out late in games.

Djaldi-Tabdi will undoubtedly give Syracuse the same struggles down low that many of the ACC’s big players have in previous games. But where she can really become a difference maker throughout the game is in the second half. If SU starts getting into foul trouble and hasn’t pulled far enough ahead by the final minutes, Djaldi-Tabdi is prone to take over as a fresh set of legs to finish off the Orange.

Stat to know: 69.1 possessions per 40 minutes

Connor Pignatello | Assistant Digital Editor

Syracuse has always wanted to ensure that the game’s tempo stays relatively high, utilizing its speedy lineup to tire out opponents. Miami doesn’t share the same philosophy, lending to a playing style that forces opponents to average just 58.4 points per game. The Hurricanes rank 248th nationally in possessions per 40 minutes, a category where SU ranks 20th in the country.

Published on February 2, 2022 at 11:41 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt