Syracuse will play its final game of its non-conference schedule when the Orange hosts Drexel on Wednesday night.
The No. 5 Orange (12-0) is coming off of a 97-55 win over Morgan State. Thirteen different players scored, as SU finally enjoyed a good shooting night from downtown, going 12-for-25 from long distance.
Sophomore James Southerland, who has seen his playing time go up over the past few games due to injured freshman C.J. Fair, led with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Over his past three games, he is averaging 10.6 points.
“He struggled early, which happens, but he is getting more confident,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “It just takes time.”
Boeheim will lead his group against Drexel, who two games ago, knocked off Louisville with a 52-46 win. After the Dragons defeated St. Francis (New York), they received six votes in The Associated Press Top 25 national poll. It is only the third season that the Dragons have received votes in the AP poll.
Syracuse and Drexel have met three times in the past, with the Orange winning two of the games. The Orange knocked off the Dragons with a 69-58 win in the NCAA Tournament in the 1995-96 season. In 2003-04, the Orange won, 74-54.
The last time the teams met, Drexel upset Syracuse in a 84-79 victory in 2006-07.
“You don’t overlook a team like this,” forward Rick Jackson said. “Especially going into break you want to finish on a good note.”
Wesley Cheng is the Editor-in-Chief of The Juice Online.
