Syracuse men’s basketball: predictions and poll vs Texas

The Syracuse Orange (3-0) travel outside the comforts of Dome tonight and head to the Barclays Center tonight at 7 for the first of two games in this year’s Legends Classic. Their opponent: the Texas Longhorns (3-1), who SU has faced just once during the 2003 Final Four.

The stakes may not be as high as they were in New Orleans two decades ago but it’s still an opportunity for the Orange to show they’re capable of much more than we’ve seen in the first couple weeks. Here are our predictions for tonight’s affair:

Mike: Texas 87, Syracuse 59

I really wanted to stay optimistic after the first pair of close calls, but letting a buy game go all the way to Double OT is a massive Red flag (pun intended) regardless of how unfamiliar this roster is with one another. The Orange haven’t shot well from the arc or the line and unless both suddenly pull a 180 they don’t have much of a chance. Maybe a real rout is what they need to come out firing Friday night? One can hope.

Sam: Texas 84, Syracuse 74

I’d be a little hesitant to say Syracuse is going to get completely blown out. There’s absolutely no doubt that this team understands that it hasn’t been close to good enough, and needs to come out with energy. Texas – while obviously a different team now – needed a buzzer-beater to beat Louisville in the Empire Classic last year in front of a barren crowd at the Garden. Maybe getting out of the “routine” of playing at the Dome and going through the motions, while still having what should be a pro-SU crowd, will help. I don’t think it’ll be enough though, as the Horns will be able to keep the Orange at a distance in the second half, and cruise to an in-state battle with Texas Tech in the final.

I expect the Red Raiders to pummel Saint Joseph’s. Even if having Elijah Hawkins on the floor means Xzayvier Brown goes off, the Hawks have lost to much worse teams than TTU – who I think has a chance to be a top 10 team in the sport – in big games for Brown and/or Erik Reynolds. Tech’s combination of wing shooting and strength with Kerwin Walton, Chance McMillan, and Darrion Williams, along with their stud, JT Toppin, will overwhelm Joes. Then, we’ll see SU against SJU on Friday.

Dom: Texas 87, Syracuse 70

I’ll sandwich the margin for defeat between Mike and Sam with this prediction. I think this will play out similar to last year’s tougher games in Maui: Syracuse will keep things very close in the first half, but an explosion on offense from the Longhorns coming out of halftime will ultimately put this away for good. Tre Johnson has emerged as a legit scorer so far for Texas and unless Starling has another crazy game, that could be the deciding factor in itself. The Longhorns don’t take many shots but are top-three in the SEC in both field goal efficiency and three-point field goal efficiency without turning the ball over. This game is won for Texas and lost for Syracuse in the half-court.

Szuba: Texas 91, Syracuse 68

It’s hard to pick against Texas in a game like this given the Longhorns’ scoring ability and Syracuse’s inability to defend across its first three games. Tre Johnson is the most talented scorer in this game and Arthur Kaluma is a matchup problem that I don’t think Syracuse has answers for. On the other end, Chendall Weaver plays defense like his life depends on it, which might limit Starling in this matchup. All that spells trouble for Syracuse.

Kevin: Texas 83, Syracuse 71

While I think Texas will pull away late, look for Syracuse to respond to the challenge of playing a better team in NYC. You know Eddie Lampkin is looking to make an impact in this one, but I think it’ll be Jaquan Carlos who will take a big step forward returning home. The Texas player who scares me the most is Arthur Kaluma as the experienced big could present a big challenge for Donnie Freeman in this one. The Orange lose, but their play is more encouraging than the three wins.

Max: Texas 78, Syracuse 68

This feels like last year’s Maui Invitational all over again. While we’re on the East Coast this time, Syracuse still needs to be more consistent on both ends to steal a win. Forty minutes of clean basketball is a must for the Orange if they want to steal a win from the Longhorns. Unfortunately, with poor shooting and suspect transition defense, Autry’s group isn’t there just yet. We’ll see some flashes of greatness, but a few big runs from Texas will put this one on ice.

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Now it’s your turn: