Niagara at Syracuse 12/3/20 - NCAA Basketball Picks & Predictions

By: Anthonoy-deleo |

Last Updated: 12/02/2020 at 8:52 PM ET

The Niagara Purple Eagles are set to visit the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York for a non-conference clash against the Syracuse Orange. The Niagara Purple Eagles will be looking to improve off their 2019-2020 campaign as they went 12-10 with a 6th place finish in the MAAC. The Purple Eagles will return their leading scorer from a season ago in junior guard Marcus Hammond as he averaged 14.3 PPG and 4.6 RPG. Niagara should be extremely productive in the backcourt, especially with junior guard Raheem Solomon returning (9.6 PPG).

The Niagara Purple Eagles struggled to score the basketball during the 2019-2020 season as they finished the season ranked 311th in the country in points scored as they averaged 65.7 PPG. The Purple Eagles were slightly better on the defensive side of the court, but they still struggled as they ranked 264th in the country in points allowed as they allowed an average of 72.4 PPG.

The Syracuse Orange come into this matchup with a 1-0 record, and they will be looking to continue their success after winning their recent home game against the Bryant Bulldogs, 85-84. Leading the way for the Syracuse Orange was junior guard Buddy Boeheim as he recorded 23 points and 4 assists. Senior forward Marek Dolezaj had a productive outing for the Orange as he pitched in 20 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds.

The Syracuse Orange struggled shooting the ball against the Bryant Bulldogs as they connected on 30 of their 75 field goal attempts (40%), and they were slightly worse from behind the three-point line (28.6%). The Syracuse Orange won the turnover battle against the Bryant Bulldogs (21-14), and they edged out the Bulldogs in the rebounding department (47-44).

The Syracuse Orange were able to escape their opening game of the season with a win against the Bryant Bulldogs, but they need to be much better on the defensive side of the court moving forward. The Orange have a ton of scoring production that returned from last season with Buddy Boeheim, Marek Dolezaj, Quincy Guerrier, and Joe Girard III, but they also received the Illinois transfer in Alan Griffin. The Niagara Purple Eagles weren’t very good at scoring the basketball last season as they only averaged 65.7 PPG, and I think they will have a tough time scoring on what should be a much better Syracuse defense. Final Score Prediction, Syracuse Orange win and cover ATS 86-60.

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