A rivalry renewed.
The Syracuse Orange got their fair share of help from some unlikely heroes against the Northeastern Huskies, and now they’ll look to continue their winning streak by taking down the longtime-rival Georgetown Hoyas.
The Hoyas come into the Carrier Dome at 7-1, as they look to continue their own four-game winning streak. It’ll be a battle of old Big East foes, as two teams looking for some quality wins square off once again.
Oshae Brissett’s double-double watch
At his best, Oshae Brissett is on a double-double watch every time he steps out on the floor. Brissett had his second double double of the season against the Huskies, but it was the way he did it that made him so dominant. Seven of Brissett’s 14 rebounds were on the offensive end, as he aggressively attacked the glass, helping him finish with a game-high 21 points.
The Orange need this version of Brissett the entire season if they want to reach their full potential, so keep an eye out for the sophomore forward’s leaping abilities on Saturday.
Was it just a one-game fluke for Tyus Battle?
After leading the Orange to their previous three wins, Tyus Battle finished with just two points in 27 minutes of play. Battle couldn’t get in a rhythm early, but Buddy Boeheim was able to pick up the slack when he subbed in for the junior guard, finishing with 11 points.
Syracuse was able to beat Northeastern convincingly with Battle out of rhythm, but the Orange will need their leading scorer to return to his previous style of play if they want to make it a five-game winning streak.
Perimeter shooting
Syracuse got some huge threes against the Huskies from Elijah Hughes, Boeheim, and Brissett, as their ability to space the floor helped the Orange penetrate the lane. The Syracuse offense gets extremely hard to stop when they’re hitting their shots from deep, as it makes it even harder to stop Battle and Brissett from attacking the rim. If the Orange are able to get some perimeter help on Saturday, they should be able to put themselves in a good position to come out on top.
Containing Jessie Govan
Govan is the leading scorer for the Hoyas, as he averages 19.5 points per game while collecting 7.6 rebounds too. He’s an inside-out threat, so the Orange will need to make sure they keep an eye on him moving off the ball. His ability to score inside may put Syracuse in foul trouble (a constant problem for both Paschal Chukwu and Bourama Sidibe), so it’ll be key for the Orange to contain Govan while also defending without fouling.
We’re still waiting for the complete version of Frank Howard
Frank Howard has yet to find his footing since returning from injury, as the senior point guard struggled again in his last outing, finishing with two points on 1-of-5 shooting. However, Howard is getting his teammates by passing the ball well, as he finished with six assists against the Huskies. But Syracuse needs Howard to be a scoring threat, as adding his offensive prowess next to Battle, Brissett and Hughes will make this team hard to stop. Howard finished with 19 points in his last meeting with the Hoyas, so maybe this will be the game the real version of Howard returns.
