After bouncing  back against Colgate, Syracuse (1-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) faces Seattle (2-2) in the first game of the NIT season tip-off Saturday. The Orange used a 70-point offensive resurgence and a still-solid defensive performance to dispel any early notion of panic in the win against Colgate. Seattle, the fourth-worst opponent SU will face per Kenpom, offers another chance to build on its nonconference recovery.

Here’s what to know about the Redhawks ahead of the matchup.

Gambling Odds: As of Friday night, Syracuse is favored by 15.5 points and the over/under is set at 129, per Pinnacle.

All-time series: This is the first meeting between the two teams.

The Seattle report: If nothing else, Seattle has experience. The Redhawks return six of the seven players who earned the most minutes for the team last year and all but one of those players are upperclassmen. That could affect the young Orange, who at this point of the season are still experimenting with lineup changes and the depth of their rotation. 

Terrell Brown is the Redhawks’ most dangerous scoring threat. The 6-foot-1 guard isn’t much of a long-distance shooting threat (he only made 14 3-pointers last season), but he is shooting 52% on shots inside the arc, already going against opponents like Washington State and Eastern Washington.

As for those games, the Redhawks didn’t fare very well: They lost by a combined 39 points in two games to teams among the top-200 teams in the nation, per Kenpom. Syracuse — ranked 53rd — is their toughest test so far this season.

How Syracuse beats Seattle: This isn’t Virginia, and this isn’t even Colgate. Seattle was blown out in one matchup with a top-200 team per Kenpom and beat handily in its other game against a Division I opponent. The Orange simply need to play a clean game — which means don’t turn over the ball more than usual, don’t miss a majority of their open shots and don’t fall asleep when defending the perimeter — and they will be fine. 

There are ugly ways in which the Orange can still win this game, but for the sake of the team moving forward, Seattle will most likely provide plenty of opportunity for a momentum-setting performance.

Stat to know: 18.8% — Syracuse’s turnover percentage, which ranks 145th in the nation, per Kenpom. SU must play a clean game to avoid the game going awry. 

KenPom odds: Syracuse has been given a 90% chance to win. The projected final score is a 71-57 SU win.

Player to watch: Myles Carter, Forward, No. 1

Seattle’s second-best scorer might be its most dangerous threat against Syracuse. Bourama Sidibe did have a bounceback game against Colgate, but the interior defense of Syracuse still remains a question mark. If Carter draws the SU defense inside, it could set up shooters on the perimeter as Seattle attempts the monumental upset.

Published on November 15, 2019 at 8:48 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary