Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse men’s basketball team will be an underdog when it hosts No. 9 Duke on Saturday night but there are lot of experts who expect a close game, and some that expect the Orange to pull off the upset.
Many national sports websites trot out predictions for the biggest games on Saturday mornings and, naturally, Syracuse-Duke made the list of the day’s biggest.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander and Kyle Boone both picked Syracuse to beat Duke, while The Athletic’s Seth Davis and ESPN’s Matt Youmans predicted that Syracuse would beat the 6 1/2-point spread and that the game would be a tight one. Including Norlander and Boone, five of CBS’ six writers said they expected Syracuse to beat the spread.
Davis offered this as part of his reasoning: “Duke’s inexperience may lead to some issues against the 2-3 zone. Throw in a slow tempo and a frenzied crowd of 33,000-plus in the Carrier Dome, and we’ve got the makings of a nail biter.”
Youmans offered this as part of his thinking: “Duke has not defeated a team ranked in the KenPom top 70 since its Dec. 3 win at Michigan State. Syracuse is up to No. 51 in KenPom. The Carrier Dome will be rocking for this prime-time ACC clash, and the line is inflated enough to take the home underdog.”
On the other side of the spectrum, Sports Illustrated’s panel of five writers all went with Duke to win the game.
Molly Geary offered: "I’m not sure this is a great matchup for 'Cuse. Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone means that the Orange let opponents shoot more three pointers than anyone in the nation, and this Blue Devils team can shoot it from deep, where it ranks third in ACC play at 38.2%. On the flip side, Duke has excelled at keeping opponents off the perimeter, which is where Syracuse’s offense makes its living.
So what’s your prediction for Saturday night? Do you think Syracuse will earn its biggest win of the year?
GAME INFO
Who: Duke at Syracuse
When: Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020
Where: Carrier Dome
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Streaming Options: You can watch online through WatchESPN or by using the ESPN app on Amazon Fire, Apple, Android, Chromecast, PS4, Roku, Xbox One, and more devices.
MORE ORANGE BASKETBALL
Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work
2020-02-02 00:22:00Z
https://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/2020/02/which-national-college-basketball-experts-predict-that-syracuse-will-upset-duke.html
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Which national college basketball experts predict that Syracuse will upset Duke? - syracuse.com"
Post a Comment