Syracuse scouting report: Bucknell

The Orange, fresh of its first true road win of the season, will head home to play Patriot League champion Bucknell.

PATRIOT LEAGUE ELITE: Bucknell ran away with the Patriot League last year, going 13-1 in conference play before losing to eventual champion Connecticut in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Although they are just 7-4 out of the gates this year, keep in mind that the Bison were sub .500 coming out of non-conference play last year. Most of that team comes back this season, and as a result, Bucknell was unanimously picked as the preseason favorite by the league’s head coaches.

SCOUTING THE BISON: Coach Dave Paulsen returns four starters from last year’s team, many of them among the Patriot League’s best. For starters, there is 6-11 junior Mike Muscala, last year’s Patriot Player of the Year. Joining him is two-time PL defensive player of the year Bryan Cohen and the league’s top 3-point shooter, Bryson Johnson.

IN BUCKNELL’S LAST GAME: Muscala had 22 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks for the Bison as they topped Richmond, 79-65. Bucknell trailed at halftime 31-27 before shooting 70 percent from the field in the second half to rally for the win.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: You may remember Syracuse playing Bucknell in a Midwest Regional game in the 1989 NCAA tournament in Dallas. No. 2 seed Syracuse, behind 27 points from Billy Owens and 21 from Stevie Thompson, cruised by 15th-seeded Bucknell 104-81. SU is 8-1 all time against the Bison, losing the last game, 74-69, at the Carrier Dome on Nov. 22, 2005.

GAME INFORMATION: Tue, Dec 20, 7 p.m. Time Warner Cable Sports/SNY. Syracuse, NY.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.