Notre Dame at Syracuse: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
Syracuse is coming home to face a depleted Notre Dame team. Both of these teams will be desperate for the win but who comes out on top?
Time: Saturday, Jan. 6 at 3:15 p.m. ET.
TV schedule: ESPN2
Arena: Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York
The season for Notre Dame 12-3 (2-0) is now in dire straights, despite a 30-point win over NC State, That’s because before the game on Wednesday, it was announced that senior forward Bonzie Colson would be out for eight weeks with a left foot fracture. He was averaging 21.4 ppg and 10.4 rpg before the injury and was an All-American candidate due to his fantastic play.
Things got even worse, as senior point guard Matt Farrell went down with an ankle sprain and has already been ruled out for the game Saturday. He’s been averaging 16 ppg and 5 apg this season.
That leaves a group of players who have been accustomed to being role players now having to take the lead. They did a good job at home against the Wolfpack, with four of those guys scoring in double figures. Temple Gibbs, whose became a quality third scorer, had 22 in the game and is averaging 15 ppg in the season.
Martinas Geben took over for Colson on the boards, with 13 to go along with 10 points. Rex Pflueger and DJ Harvey combined for 35 points themselves. It’ll be up to these four players, along with the bench to keep Notre Dame in the game on Saturday.
Syracuse 12-3 (1-1) will be playing a small rotation as well, but coach Jim Boeheim does it on purpose. Players like Frank Howard, Tyus Battle, and Oshae Brissett will play all 40 minutes in a game unless they foul out. That puts a ton of pressure on those guys to play great night in and night out.
Sometimes that doesn’t work out, with the loss at Wake Forest a primary example. Howard had 23 points to lead all scorers, but Brissett and Battle combined for 9-for-28 from the field for 29 points. That normally wouldn’t doom a team, but considering the importance of those players, it makes the difference between winning and losing.
Next: Latest ACC power rankings
Notre Dame has a shot to win this game but only if the top Orange players struggle. That can happen and the Irish have some scoring options even without Colson and Farrell. However, with Syracuse having lost the game prior along with a lack of a true point guard now for Notre Dame, it’s hard to see how Mike Brey’s team can beat this 2-3 zone.
Prediction: Syracuse 73 – Notre Dame 62