Syracuse has an unlikely top-15 nationally ranked program coming to their place in the Buffalo Bulls. Can the Orange get the impressive home win?
TV schedule: Tuesday, December 18, 8:00 pm ET. ESPN2
Arena: Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York
The historic season continues for Buffalo (10-0), ranked as the No. 14 team in the country after completing the season sweep over the Southern Illinois Salukis. In the return game at home, the Bulls won 73-65, led by Nick Perkins dropping 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. They didn’t shoot the ball well from deep (7/30) but only gave up three made three-pointers to the Salukis, while forcing 20 turnovers in the win.
The Bulls will need to shoot better than 23% to win against their next opponent Syracuse (7-3), who may have been looking ahead to this matchup from over the weekend. The Orange lost their last game to Old Dominion, squandering a double-digit halftime lead to lose 68-62.
Syracuse shot only 33% from the field in the game but those 12 missed free throws will be what bit them in the end. Tyus Battle led all scorers with 23 points, with Elijah Hughes being the only other player in double figures with 15.
A huge key in this upcoming game between Syracuse and Buffalo will be the battle beyond the arc. The Orange’s zone forces opponents to shoot a ton of three-pointers in the game, an area the Bulls like to operate. They do sometimes have off nights but will have to be efficient in this game to win on the road.
With West Virginia struggling more than expected, Buffalo needs this win to help bolster the team’s at-large resume for March. The two opportunities this week (Syracuse and Marquette) represents arguably the last chance the Bulls will have in the regular season for quality wins. For the Orange, Buffalo is another good win to pad to their resume, in case they find themselves once again back on the bubble.
Syracuse defeated Buffalo last season but the senior-led Bulls are even better this time around. If they can make double-digit three-pointers in this one, look for the MAC heavyweight to continue making noise by beating an ACC foe.