The Syracuse Orange (6-2) face off against the Colgate Raiders (2-5) at Carrier Dome. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 8 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Orange are hoping for a better outcome after their 79-72 loss to Georgetown on Saturday. Michael Gbinije was the game’s leading scorer, recording 23 points. The Raiders are coming off an ugly 76-49 loss to TCU on Saturday. Austin Tillotson had a game-high 20 points.
Syracuse is a heavy 20-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 133 points. The Orange enter the game with records of 6-2 Straight Up (SU) and 3-4 Against The Spread (ATS). Syracuse is excellent from the perimeter with 74 three-pointers made (9.0 per game), the 45th-most in the country. Turning to the defensive side, the Orange are the 36th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.4 steals per game. Colgate has a habit of getting in foul trouble (23.0 fouls per game), so expect the Orange to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
This is the first meeting of the season for these two. The last time they played, Syracuse came out on top, bringing its SU record to 10-0 over the Raiders. The Orange also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – Syr, ATS Winner – Syr, O/U – Over
Notes
Syracuse is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
Syracuse is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Syracuse is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Colgate.
Colgate has an average field goal percentage of 41.2%. Syracuse is an even 2-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Syracuse Orange and the Colgate Raiders both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Syracuse is 260th and 173rd in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Colgate is 275th and 254th in these categories.
Syracuse, the 71st-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.8 per game. Colgate does worse, ranked 290th with 2.3.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 19.5% when playing Colgate this season. Syracuse is undefeated this season (4-0) when its TO% is 19.5% or higher.
