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Despite two straight slow starts against woefully inferior opponents, Syracuse has rattled off a four-game winning streak, a solid way to finish out a tumultuous 2022 year. But there are serious questions surrounding the style of play the Orange have developed, with head coach Jim Boeheim singling out his forwards as players that need to step up. Now, SU welcomes Cornell to the JMA Wireless Dome, a team it has beaten 41 straight times. 

Kenpom gives Syracuse an 82% chance to win, but the Big Red are 7-2, with both losses coming by two points against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. The Orange, meanwhile, have needed late-game runs in order to pull away from both Georgetown and Monmouth, drawing questions from Boeheim about who will make up the starting five.

Here is what our beat writers predict will happen when Syracuse takes on Cornell.

Anish Vasudevan (9-2) 
Orange > Red
Syracuse 71, Cornell 65

Monmouth shouldn’t have been as close as it was against Syracuse last week. The Orange’s defense crumbled, again, allowing one of the worst shooting teams in the country to finish 48.2% from the field. Cornell is miles better than Monmouth, going on a seven-game winning streak this season before its most recent loss to Miami, but SU should be able to scrape by with a victory over their central New York neighbors. The Big Red have the third-best 2-point shooting percentage in the country at 61.8% so the back of the Orange’s zone will be tested throughout the matchup.

There’s no reason why the Orange can’t win all of their games until the start of the New Year. But SU needs to start dominating against unimposing opponents instead of letting them hang around for at least a half. Syracuse will need a fast start to make sure the Big Red don’t build on an early advantage. Joe Girard III, Judah Mintz and Jesse Edwards inside should provide that. Otherwise, the Orange will be fighting for their lives again.

Connor Smith (9-2)
Close, but no cigar 
Syracuse 75, Cornell 70

Syracuse has beaten Cornell 41 straight times, with the last time the Big Red beat the Orange coming in December 1968. And I expect SU to make that 42 straight on Saturday afternoon. Syracuse is playing solid basketball right now, winners of four straight games, and its next four games are very winnable, too. Cornell is a team the Orange shouldn’t take for granted — like they did with Monmouth, which held a second-half lead and played SU close for 30 minutes. The Big Red are 7-2, their only two losses coming against ACC squads Boston College and Miami, each by two points. They’re a team that can put up points quickly, something seen Wednesday when they dropped 105 on the Hurricanes, a strong team.

But while I expect Cornell to keep up and even lead at times throughout the first and second halves, Syracuse should be able to eventually pull away. Edwards will have a one-inch height advantage inside that he will use to pick up easy buckets and blocks. Girard and Mintz have played well during this winning streak, and I expect that to continue Saturday. Some additional scoring from Benny Williams and Maliq Brown will make the difference, and SU will have a five-game win streak going into its home ACC opener against Pitt on Tuesday, with Cornell spending its short drive back to Ithaca wondering what could’ve been had they made a couple more plays down the stretch.

Anthony Alandt (7-4) 
A win’s a win
Syracuse 79, Cornell 71

So yes, this team is on a winning streak. Yes it ended up pulling out a double-digit victory against Monmouth and Mintz looks to be one of the best point guards in the Atlantic Coast Conference already. But this is a flawed team that doesn’t like to get down and dirty inside the paint. Eventually, that’s going to hurt the Orange significantly. Saturday will be close, but Syracuse will pull it out against a team that is also pretty inexperienced.

But Cornell is pretty good, especially when it comes to shooting inside the arc and effective field goal percentage. Expect the Big Red to keep it close and even go into the halftime break up a few possessions. Syracuse will struggle defensively, with Cornell players continuing to exploit the same backdoor cuts and high ball screens that Monmouth did early. Then Edwards will step up, and so will Mintz. Winners of five straight, SU will definitely need the few days of break to figure out some adjustments.

Published on December 17, 2022 at 12:24 pm