Syracuse, N.Y. ― A Syracuse Orange team that has struggled through the early part of its schedule will meet its biggest challenge to date with a game at nationally ranked Illinois on Tuesday night.
Syracuse, which has a 3-3 record after recent losses to St. John’s and Bryant, will face Illinois (5-1) at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, as part of the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Orange’s challenge will be to try to keep up with a deep and athletic Illinois team that has already notched a win over a nationally ranked foe with a 79-70 victory over UCLA and whose only loss was to another top 25-team ― a 70-61 loss to Virginia.
Illinois’ high-powered offense is racking up 84.6 points per game. Comparatively, Syracuse is managing just 74.8 points per game, and that includes the benefit of playing two overtimes in the first six games. Syracuse hasn’t scored more than 76 points since its 90-72 win over Lehigh in the season opener.
Since joining the ACC in 2014, Syracuse is 4-5 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including last year’s 112-110 double-overtime win over Indiana in the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse has a 3-3 record for just the third time in Jim Boeheim’s 47 years as the head coach of the Orange. The other two times Syracuse split its first six games were the 1996-97 and 2021-22 seasons. Syracuse has never been 3-4 after seven games during Boeheim’s tenure.
Tuesday’s game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Here are five key things to know about the matchup:
A struggling offense vs. a dominant defense
Syracuse isn’t exactly setting the scoreboard on fire this season. Not only is Syracuse averaging just 74.8 points per game, but the Orange is collectively making just 45% of its shots. That figure includes a 33% mark from 3-point range.
Syracuse is just not creating good looks for its shooters and proof is in the assist-to-turnover numbers.
On the season, Syracuse has just three more assists (74) than it does turnovers (71). That’s in sharp contrast to Illinois’ 99 assists and just 64 turnovers.
Syracuse guards Judah Mintz (17 assists, 14 turnovers), Joe Girard (16 and 15) and Symir Torrence (14 and 10) are all far below the normal target ratio of 2-to-1 for guards.
Don’t expect the Syracuse offense to suddenly kick into gear against Illinois. The Illini are giving up just 61.5 points per game.
According to KenPom.com, the Illini rank 20th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency and 18th in effective field-goal percentage defense.
Edwards’ board work
Syracuse center Jesse Edwards had a huge day on the boards in the Orange’s loss to Bryant on Saturday. The 6-foot-11 senior hauled down 21 rebounds. It was the most rebounds for a Syracuse player since Rick Jackson grabbed 22 boards againt Detroit on Nov. 15, 2010.
Edwards got those 21 rebounds in just 31 minutes of playing time, which is both amazing and also troubling.
Edwards continued his habit of getting into early foul trouble. He committed two early fouls and then picked up his third with just 39 seconds left in the first half. He was in the game with two fouls because backup center Mounir Hima was out with an undisclosed injury to his left leg.
Edwards had previously sat the final 14 first-half minutes against both Richmond and St. John’s after committing two early fouls.
With Hima’s status for Tuesday’s game unknown, it’s more imperative than ever Edwards avoids the cheap fouls that wind up putting him on the bench.
A senior homecoming
Terrence Shannon Jr. is enjoying a homecoming of sorts in his senior year. The 6-foot-5 guard is a native of Chicago. He spent the first three years of his college career at Texas Tech, but he transferred to Illinois after the 2021-22 season.
In just six games, Shannon has made himself right at home. He leads the Illini in scoring at 20.3 points per game. He’s second on the team in rebounding with 6.2 per game. He also leads Illinois in assists (3.8).
While Shannon played well at Texas Tech, his Illinois production is a huge increase over his numbers in Lubbock, Texas. He averaged 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Red Raiders last year.
A boost off the bench
Justin Taylor had played sparingly in Syracuse’s first four games. In the Orange’s fifth game of the year, the 6-6 freshman didn’t play at all, watching the entire overtime loss to St. John’s from the bench.
But against Bryant, Taylor got a chance to play more and grabbed it. With Mintz ejected in the first half plus Benny Williams’ stomach sickness, Taylor played 25 minutes.
He played a huge role in Syracuse’s comeback from a 13-point, second-half deficit, scoring 25 points on 6-of-9 field-goal shooting. Taylor connected on three of his six 3-point attempts and also went 10-for-13 at the free-throw line.
Taylor had been playing mostly small forward this year, but with Mintz out of the game, Taylor moved into the backcourt alongside Joe Girard.
A Syracuse team in need of some offensive energy might have found a source for some in Taylor.
A Melo fan
Dain Dainja is wearing orange at Illinois, but it seems like he should be wearing the Orange of Syracuse.
Dainja, a 6-9 forward, is from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, but his bio states that his favorite player is Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony.
Despite his fondmess for Melo and some interest from the Syracuse coaches during his recruiting process, Dainja decided to go to Baylor out of high school. He redshirted his first year at Baylor and then left the school after just three games in the 2021-22 season.
Dainja is Illinois’ second-leading scorer (13.0 ppg) and No. 1 rebounder (7.0) despite coming off the bench in every game this season. He’s doing a lot of damage in just 18 minutes per game.
Contact Mike Waters anytime: Email | Twitter
MORE ORANGE BASKETBALL
SU coach Jim Boeheim on Joe Girard’s shooting slump: ‘No explanation for it’
Syracuse’s John Bol Ajak had no idea he would have to fill in for a sick Benny Williams
SU guard Judah Mintz on having to watch loss to Bryant after his ejection: ‘It was just painful’
Syracuse basketball falls to Bryant, 73-72 on last-second shot in ejection-filled game
No, Syracuse didn’t win it all in Brooklyn. But a young Orange basketball team grew up a little
Brooklyn Battle: Syracuse basketball loses to St. John’s in overtime (Brent Axe recap)
St. John’s outlasts a game Syracuse team in overtime (Donna Ditota’s quick hits)
Syracuse falls to St. John’s in overtime in Empire Classic in Brooklyn
ORANGE BASKETBALL FANS
Ad Choices