The NC State men’s basketball team will return to PNC on Tuesday, Feb. 9 to take on the Syracuse Orange in a chance for revenge. The Orange previously defeated the Wolfpack on the last day of January in a rough, three-point loss, in which the Pack was outscored 38-26 in the second half.
Syracuse saw tremendous resilience from its six-man rotation, with each player scoring over 10 points aside from Joseph Girard III. Alan Griffin, who scored 19 points in the last matchup, is one of the main players to watch from the Orange. Griffin, an NBA-level prospect, averages 15.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game on decent shooting splits.
Quincy Guerrier, Syracuse’s leading scorer and rebounder, was held to just 10 points in the previous matchup between the two teams, and it will be interesting to see if NC State’s front court can remain consistent in keeping him under wraps.
As for Syracuse as a team, it is one of the most level-headed and controlled teams in the ACC, ranking in the 90th percentile or above in turnover percentage and personal fouls per game, which means the team rarely fouls or turns the ball over. Nearly every player in the Orange’s rotation averages a steal or more per game.
Buddy Boeheim, Marek Dolezaj and Girard round out the rest of Syracuse’s starting lineup, and each averages more than 10 points per contest. Boeheim isn’t an efficient shooter, but he takes a significant amount of shots, contributing to his 14.2 points per game. Boeheim shot 50% from deep in the first matchup with the Pack, so head coach Kevin Keatts and the rest of the squad will have to force him into tougher shots.
The Pack is coming off a dominant win against Boston College, but the game against Syracuse will give a better temperature check of where the team stands. NC State blew out an injury-riddled Eagles roster, which should give the team confidence heading into the matchup with the Orange.
Freshman guard Shakeel Moore had a career-high 19 points, while the other Pack guards maintained steady play throughout the matchup. Keatts will look to keep that guard momentum going, assuming redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk, redshirt sophomore forward Manny Bates and junior forward Jericole Hellems can replicate their production across the season.
Griffin will likely be the toughest test again for the Pack, and at least one of the guards is going to have to step up and take on the task of defending him. The most likely option is that Griffin is defended by committee while the Pack front court handles Guerrier and Dolezaj.
Another key to victory will be keeping the Orange off the boards, as Syracuse ranks in the bottom tier of schools in rebounding. Syracuse was outrebounded 42-25 in its most recent loss to Clemson.
The game against Syracuse will tip off at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at PNC Arena. The game can be streamed on the ACC Network, and fans can follow along live on Twitter (@TechSports).
