Men's Basketball

Beat writers predict outcome of Syracuse-North Florida matchup

Ally Moreo | Asst. Photo Editor

Frank Howard and Syracuse looks to end its two-game losing streak on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Syracuse (4-2) enters Saturday’s  4 p.m. matchup against North Florida on a two-game losing streak. The Ospreys are 3-6 and have lost their last three games, most recently a 91-60 loss at the hands of Florida.

Here’s how our beat writers predict the game to unfold.

Connor Grossman (4-2)
Defeathered
Syracuse 72, North Florida 53

Against a far more inferior opponent than Wisconsin or South Carolina, Syracuse gets the chance to recalibrate on Saturday. That means John Gillon and Frank Howard elevating their assist numbers again, an offensively challenged frontcourt garnering more scoring opportunities and the entire team smoothing over its movements in the zone. At this point, SU’s main objective is to perfect those facets (among others) in time for conference play in a month.

Matt Schneidman (5-1)
Bird hunting
Syracuse 84, North Florida 56



The Ospreys turn the ball over on 28.4 percent of possessions, according to Kenpom.com, as of Thursday evening, the third-worst percentage in the country. Combine that with the Syracuse zone, that gets much-needed relief against the Ospreys, will have no problem causing chaos and turning steals into points at the other end. The Orange should be able to showcase its scoring depth again that didn’t show up in the past two games, which will only play to the advantage for a team that can’t afford another nonconference loss.

Paul Schwedelson (5-1)
Syracuse 79, North Florida 55
‘Sprey paint

Syracuse has been outscored in the paint 58-30 in the past two games. But North Florida is a much weaker opponent than South Carolina or Wisconsin. Expect the Orange to pound the ball inside and dominate the Ospreys. While SU has no more opportunities to notch a legitimate resume-building win until conference play, all it can do is mow down the teams on the schedule. After two straight losses, Syracuse gets back to its winning ways and gets ready for a Monday night showdown with former Big East rival Connecticut at Madison Square Garden.

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