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Two games into Syracuse’s second season under Adrian Autry, the Orange are 2-0. The undefeated start hasn’t come without its fair share of criticism, however. Despite starting the season with two victories, SU barely scraped by two Quad-4 opponents.

The Orange opened their season with a nailbiter against Le Moyne. The Dolphins jumped out to a 41-36 lead at halftime, but SU came storming back after the break, dropping 50 to take the game 86-82. Off the bench, Jyare Davis led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

A week later against Colgate, Syracuse again fell into trouble. The Orange were up and down throughout the night, and three missed free throws in the last minute allowed the Raiders to stick around until the final buzzer. SU escaped victorious, winning 74-72 but with room to grow.

“It’s a new team,” Autry said postgame. “We are still trying to figure things out.”

SU now takes on Horizon League foe Youngstown State in its quest to stay undefeated. The Penguins are 1-1 to start the campaign, recently falling by 34 points to Ohio State on Monday.

Here’s everything to know about Youngstown State (1-1, 0-0 Horizon League) ahead of its matchup with Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome:

All time series

This is the two teams’ first-ever meeting.

KenPom Odds

Syracuse has an 81% chance of winning, with a projected score of 82-72.

The Penguins report

Like Syracuse, Youngstown is a different looking squad in the 2024-25 season compared to a year ago. The Penguins finished 22-10 last season where their season ended in the Horizon League Championship, falling to Cleveland State 82-70. Head coach Ethan Faulkner is in his first season at the helm and sixth in the program, helping Youngstown to five winning seasons.

Faulkner lost fifth-year seniors Ziggy Reid, DJ Burns, Brett Thompson, Brandon Rush and Bryson Langdon, who led the Penguins in points per game last season. All have since graduated.

In their place, YSU brought in transfers Nico Galette from Sacred Heart and Ty Harper from Eastern Washington. Galette leads the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game while Harper is second at 10.5.

Sophomore Gabe Dynes is an imposing threat down low as the Penguins starting center. Junior Juwan Maxey is just 6-foot-1, 165 pounds but is their best weapon from 3. He’s attempted 11 triples — three more than the next closest — and has cashed in four times.

Defensively, Youngstown State ranks 146th in efficiency, per KenPom, allowing 70.5 points per game. The Penguins have totaled 4.5 steals and 5.5 blocks per game.

How Syracuse beats Youngstown State

The Orange will move to 3-0 by making the Penguins’ offense continue to look below-average. Syracuse’s defense has been less than impressive thus far, allowing 77.0 points per game. Its transition defense has been abysmal, allowing 22 fast break points versus Colgate.

Youngstown State hasn’t seemed to find a groove offensively. It scored 80 points in the season opener but recently dropped a measly 47 points against Ohio State. The Penguins have been horrific from 3, totaling a 19% mark from beyond the arc on 41 attempts.

If Syracuse can limit the Penguins’ open looks and play any source of competent transition defense, it should cruise to a win heading into the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Director

Stat to know: 101

Following its two middling performances to open the season, Syracuse currently ranks 101st in the nation, per KenPom. SU’s opening win over Le Moyne didn’t hold much strength due to the Dolphins’ 337 ranking. Colgate wasn’t much better at 226. The way Syracuse won both of its games likely was a killer to its ranking.

The Orange opened the season at 68th, along the bubble of the NCAA Tournament field. Only two games in, their numbers have drastically dropped with a defensive rating that ranks 144th (103.5). Based on the ranking system, Youngstown State is SU’s top opponent yet at 185. Syracuse likely needs a win by a significant margin to make any push back inside the top 100.

Player to watch: Gabe Dynes, center, No. 45

Dynes has been an impact player on defense. The sophomore is coming off an impressive freshman season where he was named to both the Horizon League All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team.

The 7-foot-3 center scored only 3.9 points per game in his freshman campaign but led the conference in blocks with 61 (2.3 per game). His skillset has transitioned into his sophomore year, where he’s totaled 10 blocks, including seven in Youngstown State’s season opener versus Chicago State.

The potent shot blocker is by far the tallest opponent the Orange will play thus far and serves as a threat to SU’s inside scoring.

Published on November 13, 2024 at 11:29 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky