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Johns1124
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College Basketball Talk with my friend the squirrel!

Post by Johns1124 »

He Said:

The Miami Hurricanes will look to get back on track when they host the Syracuse Orange in ACC action Saturday afternoon from the Watsco Center. The Orange are coming off a 74-70 home loss to N.C. State, and the Hurricanes dropped a 59-50 decision to #1 Virginia in their latest action. This marks the first meeting this season, and each team recorded one win in last year’s season series.


Orange Defense with Off Night in Loss to N.C. State

The Syracuse Orange played poor defense in their 74-70 home loss to N.C. State on Wednesday to drop their conference record to 6-7. The Orange did post a stellar 52% clip from the field, however N.C. State was able to sink 55% of their field goals. Orange’ leading scorer Tyus Battle did score 17 points, however it was on a 5 for 14 shooting performance. The sophomore guard is having a breakout season, reaching 20 points 13 times this season, and is currently averaging 20.2 points on 42.6% shooting. Frank Howard played well in Wednesday’s defeat, notching 16 points along with six assists. The junior guard has not been very accurate from the field as of late which has brought his field goal percentage down to 38.7% to go with 15.1 points per game.

The Orange have won two out of their last three games however they need some big wins down the final stretch to put them on the bubble for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They are currently placed at 48th in the country in Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball rankings, and are 2-4 in their six conference road games. Syracuse is only averaging 69.8 points per game, ranking them 288th overall. They rely on their defense to win games, and they are holding opponents to 63.8 points, good for 14th in the country.


Hurricanes Can’t Crack Virginia’s #1 Defense

The Miami Hurricanes could not solve the #1 ranked Virginia Cavaliers’ defense in their 59-50 home loss on Tuesday to drop to 7-6 in conference play. The Hurricanes only converted on 38% of their field goals, while Virginia was able to shoot 45%. Chris Lykes had one of his better games of the season in the loss, sinking a team-high 19 points on 6 for 12 shooting. The freshman guard is playing well, scoring at least 13 points in four out of his last five games, and is now up to 8.8 points on 41% shooting. Hurricanes’ leading scorer Dewan Huell was a non-factor in Tuesday’s game, attempting only one shot, and he did not record a point. The sophomore forward is scuffling in a big way right now, scoring three or fewer points in three out of his last four games, decreasing his season average to 11.8 points on a terrific 58% field goal efficiency.

The Hurricanes have dropped two straight which included a tough 72-70 road loss to Boston College. Miami has fallen to the middle of the pack in the ACC standings, and they have dropped out of the top 25 rankings, while Ken Pomeroy has them at 38th in the country in his rankings. Miami’s owns a 4-2 home record in ACC action, and they are scoring an average of 74.5 points per game, ranking them 165th overall. They are holding opponents to 66.3 points, placing them 40th in the country.

Take the Canes. They are due for another marquee win!

Pick: Miami -4.5




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