Syracuse plays its second straight game against an Ivy League opponent, this time against Cornell on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Carrier Dome (TV: ACC Network Extra).
Ahead of the game, we caught up with our friends over at Ivy Hoops Online to get a scouting report on the Big Red. (Be sure to check out TJO’s Syracuse scouting report for this matchup at Ivy Hoops Online):
The Juice Online: Tell us about Ivy Hoops Online.
Michael Tony: Ivy Hoops Online is a blog that has provided a colorful take on Ivy League basketball since 2011.
TJO: What are the major storylines with Cornell coming into this game?
MT: Syracuse’s gain of Jimmy Boeheim was Cornell’s loss, and the Big Red also lost three other 2021 grads through the transfer portal. Cornell was projected to finish seventh in the eight-team Ivy League in the conference preseason poll, but Brian Earl’s squad boasts the Ancient Eight’s best winning percentage so far (.800 at 8-2) against a schedule of mostly sub-300 KenPom teams. But Cornell’s taken care of business against lesser opponents, notching its best win over Colgate at home on Nov. 16 and leading at Penn State deep into the second half before fading late six days later.
TJO: Who are Cornell’s standout players?
MT: Junior forward Jordan Jones leads the Big Red in scoring at 12.7 points in just 19.6 minutes per contest, but Cornell puts forth an ensemble effort on offense, with eight players averaging between six and 10 points per game. Sophomore forward Keller Boothby has been the team’s most dangerous sharpshooting threat, going 27-for-47 (57.4%) from three-point range so far off the bench, while Kobe Dickson has done a stellar job of paint patrol, averaging 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per outing while anchoring a defense adept at defending the three-point line.
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TJO: Tell us your predictions for the game.
MT: Cornell has the shortest average possession length in the nation according to KenPom, but expect the Big Red to slow things down against the more athletic Orange and make this a game in the early going. But like Syracuse’s last tilt against Ivy competition Monday versus Brown, the home team will pull away decisively in the second stanza. Syracuse 91, Cornell 71.
Make sure to check out the Syracuse scouting report for this matchup at Ivy Hoops Online.
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