Senior Night in Syracuse
The Syracuse Orange (12-18, 6-13) are back in the JMA Dome to play their final ACC regular season game against the Virginia Cavaliers (15-15, 8-11). Tip off is at 8:00 pm tomorrow on The ACC Network and here’s what we’re watching for:
Kevin: Eyes on Isaac
Virginia guard Isaac McKneeley is shooting over 40% from 3 again this season as he leads the Cavaliers with 14.2 points per game. All season, the Orange have failed to lock in on the opposing teams top threat and it would be nice to see them finally do it tomorrow night. Syracuse should send multiple defenders at McKneeley as he plays heavy minutes and is very active on the offensive end. Even though the Orange are unlikely to stop him, they can try and make him less efficient and force him off the three-point line.
Dom: Second-half scoring
In two straight games, Syracuse got off to the great start it needed and took a double-digit lead at one point only to see that advantage slowly disappear coming out of halftime. A lot of the focus will be on the defense, which has admittedly been very inconsistent, but the real concern to me is Syracuse shooting in the thirties from the floor in back-to-back second halves. When the offense does indeed stall, where do the Orange go to try and put enough points on the board?
Szuba: Defense
Virginia is one of the better outside shooting teams in the league as its top four scorers all shoot over 38% from three. Syracuse, meanwhile, has struggled to defend outside shots at many points this season. Can the Orange defend the three and take Isaac McKneely out of rhythm? That, and the second half defense has fallen off a cliff of late. If Syracuse builds a lead at the half, can it hang on or will the defense wilt down the stretch?
Mike: Any Dome Sendoffs?
While it’s not fun to talk about after a bad season, Saturday will be the final Syracuse home game for several guys on the roster… potentially including J.J. Starling, who still has one year of eligibility but could spend it elsewhere for the right offer. The same can be said for Chris Bell. Who, if anyone, takes charge to make some final Dome memories?
Max: Continue dominating the boards
If Syracuse wants to go out with a win on Senior Day, it needs to take advantage of Virginia’s lackluster offensive rebounding. In fact, the Cavaliers have the worst OREB rate of any ACC team in conference play per KenPom (21.2%). Believe it or not, Stanford was the last team to outrebound SU (10 games ago), so look for the Orange rebounding to be a main focal point on Saturday.
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What will you be watching for in this one?