The Maryland men’s basketball team has one last nonconference test.
The Terps (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten) will take on Syracuse (5-5, 0-1 ACC) in the Nutrafol Gotham Classic in their penultimate nonconference game. After facing the Orange, Maryland will host Maryland Eastern Shore on Dec. 28 in its nonconference finale and final game of the 2024 calendar year.
Maryland is coming off a dominant 111-57 win over St. Francis on Tuesday. Led by Selton Miguel (24 points), all five Maryland starters were in double figures. The Terps had 11 different players score en route to their highest-scoring game since 2005.
Syracuse enters Saturday having lost three of its last four games, most recently falling to Georgetown, 75-71, in a rivalry game at home.
Maryland leads the all-time series, 5-4. It is the first matchup between the programs in over seven years, a 72-70 win for Syracuse in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Nov. 27, 2017.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch, follow and listen to the game.
Tipoff: Noon on Saturday, Dec. 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
TV: ESPN – Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Jay Williams (analyst)
Streaming: Watch ESPN
Radio: Maryland Sports Radio Network, 105.7FM (Baltimore), 980AM (D.C.) – Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Chris Knoche (analyst), Claude Jennings, Jr. (engineer)
Live Stats: Link
KenPom.com Line: Maryland -11
Adrian “Red” Autry is in his second year leading the Orange after taking over for Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim. Syracuse went 20-12 in Autry’s first season, and it was projected to finish 11th in the preseason ACC poll. Syracuse is ranked 105th at KenPom and 129th in the NET.
Syracuse ranks 67th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Orange do a steady job taking care of the ball, ranking 25th nationally in offensive turnover percentage, but struggle to shoot it. Syracuse has made just 27.1% of its three-point attempts, the 343rd-best mark in the country.
The days of Syracuse playing zone defense 100% of the time are gone. The Orange rank 167th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. They do a poor job of forcing turnovers, ranking 345th nationally in defensive turnover percentage. Syracuse does a solid job of keeping opponents off the glass, ranking ninth nationally in limiting offensive rebounds. Syracuse allows opponents to shoot 32% from three and 56.3% from two.
Syracuse has been without its leading scorer: guard JJ Starling. Starling, who averages 19.8 points per game, has missed the last four games with a left hand injury. The Orange most recently rolled out a starting five of senior point guard Jaquan Carlos, freshman guard Elijah Moore, junior forward Chris Bell, freshman forward Donnie Freeman and graduate center Eddie Lampkin Jr.; three of those players are at least 6-foot-7.
Freeman is Syracuse’s second-leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points per game. Freeman, who also averages 7.9 rebounds, was a five-star recruit and the No. 13 player in the Class of 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The 6-foot-9 Freeman is from Washington, D.C. and played at St. John’s College before finishing his high school career at IMG Academy. He shoots 50% from the field and 32% from three.
Bell (11.8 points per game) and senior forward Jyáre Davis (11.1) are the only other Syracuse players in double figures. Bell has had an up-and-down past few games, scoring three points against Georgetown, 18 points against Albany on Dec. 10 and just four points against Notre Dame on Dec. 7. Bell is shooting just 23.4% from deep. Davis, a Delaware transfer, has made two starts but came off the bench against Georgetown. He has heated up of late, scoring 15 points in both the Georgetown and Albany games and 20 against Notre Dame. The 6-foot-7 Davis is shooting 67.2% from two but just 1-for-7 from deep.
The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Lampkin in his first season at Syracuse after a season at Colorado and three at TCU. Lampkin is averaging 9.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 57.1% from the field. Carlos, also in his first season at Syracuse, is averaging 6.2 points and a team-high 4.7 assists per game but is shooting just 35.1% from the field and 21.4% from beyond the arc. Moore is averaging 8.4 points per game and shooting 44.4% from the field and 33.3% from three. The 6-foot-4 Moore was a four-star prospect and the No. 96 recruit in the Class of 2024.
Senior guard Lucas Taylor is the only other Syracuse player playing double-digit minutes per game (16.8). The Georgia State transfer averages just 2.9 points per game and is 1-for-13 from three. Kyle Cuffe Jr., a 6-foot-2 redshirt junior guard, and 7-foot-4 senior center Naheem McLeod played four and two minutes, respectively, against Georgetown.
When Maryland booked this game, head coach Kevin Willard was probably hoping it would present an opportunity for a signature win. Instead, it is a Quadrant Three game for the Terps, who are No. 8 in the NET rankings. Expect a large Maryland (and Syracuse) contingent, as Willard mentioned on his latest radio show that “it’s going to be one of the best neutral-site games ticket-wise in Barclays history.” A win would bring the Terps to the 10-win plateau, and likely leave them without a loss until the New Year.
Before you go …
— Save $20 on your SeatGeek purchase of tickets to Maryland games or any major events with code “IMS” at checkout!
— Get the latest Terps news delivered to your inbox FREE! Sign up for our email newsletter here and stay informed on Maryland basketball, football, recruiting and every other Terps storyline.
— Support Maryland basketball’s recruiting and player-retention efforts by joining TurtleNIL!
— Follow IMS on Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok and Instagram.
— Don’t miss any of our new video Terps content: Subscribe to InsideMDSports on YouTube and hit the notification bell so you know when new videos drop.
– Need a go-to Terps podcast? Listen to IMS Radio here, watch earlier episodes here and don’t forget to subscribe to IMS Radio on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon Music | TuneIn | Apple Podcasts
