Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Colgate, Ohio among mid-major upset candidates

By Cooper Watson

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 12: Nana Owusu-Anane #31 of the Brown Bears dunks against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game at the Dean E. Smith Center on November 12, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 12: Nana Owusu-Anane #31 of the Brown Bears dunks against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game at the Dean E. Smith Center on November 12, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball Jim Boeheim Syracuse Orange (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Jim Boeheim Syracuse Orange (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images) /

2. Syracuse vs Colgate

TV schedule: Saturday, Nov. 20 – 5:00 PM ET, ACC Network

Arena: Carrier Dome – Syracuse, NY

Colgate is coming off of a three-point loss at N.C. State, a game which they easily could have won. They are also coming off of a 2020-21 season that saw them go 14-2 before losing to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This year’s team returns several key players from that squad, highlighted by senior guard Nelly Cummings (22.0 ppg, .621 eFG), who is shooting 76.9% from three to start the season.

The team’s identity remains the same under Head Coach Matt Langel—they do not turn the ball over and they shoot and defend the three. The Raiders currently rank 32nd nationally in turnover percentage, 45th in 3-point percentage, and 60th in 3-point percentage defense. If they get hot…watch out.

Syracuse returns potential ACC Player of the Year Buddy Boeheim (20.5 ppg), who averaged 24.0 per game over the final seven games of last season (which saw them make the Sweet Sixteen), including five games with 5+ made threes. Their second-leading scorer through two games is Buddy’s brother, Jimmy (16.0 ppg), the oldest son of Head Coach Jim Boeheim.

The Orange easily won their opener vs Lafayette but trailed at halftime against Drexel in their next matchup before eventually pulling away.

These schools are just under an hour away from each other, making this a much more enticing matchup than Colgate’s previous matchup with N.C. State. The upset potential in this game is more predicated on Colgate’s potential than any perceived weakness or flaws with Syracuse

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