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Syracuse obtained its third consecutive win on Dec. 17 defeating Oregon 83-63 in Sioux Falls, SD. Led by backup guard Quadir Copeland, who totaled 15 points, five assists and a game-high nine rebounds, SU matched a season-best 44 bench points and shot a sizzling 56.6% from the field.

Yet, the victory wasn’t entirely pretty. Syracuse recorded 19 turnovers — its highest tally since Jan. 5, 2022. The Orange combined with Oregon to chart a whopping 24 in the opening half and 38 total. Despite its sloppy ball handling, SU eventually found its groove as Judah Mintz (18), J.J. Starling (14) and Maliq Brown (13) joined Copeland in notching double-digit points.

After a three-day break, Syracuse will play Niagara in its final nonconference matchup this season. The Purple Eagles are coming off a 74-69 loss at Binghamton, which halted a two-game win streak.

Here’s everything you need to know before SU (8-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) faces Niagara (3-7, 0-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) Thursday:

All-time series

Syracuse leads, 55-28.

Last time they played

In its second game of the 2020-21 season, Syracuse cruised to a 75-45 home victory over Niagara.

Now-Illinois forward Quincy Guerrier produced a game-high 23 points while current Seton Hall guard Kadary Richmond tacked on 16. Though nine different Purple Eagles scored, they collectively mustered a lowly 16.7% from 3 and shot just 50% from the free-throw line. A dominant 26-2 run for SU in the first half quickly put the contest out of reach.

KenPom Odds

Syracuse has a 96% chance of winning, with a projected score of 84-64.

The Purple Eagles report

Through 10 games, Niagara’s early season struggles reside in its lackluster defense. The Purple Eagles rank 10th of 11 MAAC teams in opponent field goal percentage (48.1%), 3-point percentage (37.3%) and are dead last in combined team rebounding (28.7 per game).

However, offensively, their 46.7% shooting mark from the field is surprisingly efficient and places second-best in the conference. Spearheaded by senior Yaw Obeng-Mensah (10.6 points per game) and freshman Ahmad Henderson II (15.2 points per game), who are its only players scoring in double figures, Niagara executes fundamental basketball featuring drive-and-kick looks and inside feeds.

Obeng-Mensah and Henderson II are the only players capable of creating their own shots off the dribble and connecting from beyond the arc at a respectable rate on Niagra. Aside from the forward-guard tandem, there aren’t many bright spots for Niagara, which KenPom ranks as the No. 325 team out of 360 total Division I programs.

How Syracuse beats Niagara

Labeled as a runaway favorite, Syracuse is expected to comfortably handle Niagara at the JMA Wireless Dome on Thursday. The matchup presents another tune-up opportunity for SU before the bulk of its conference slate, starting with hosting Pittsburgh on Dec. 30.

The talent gap between both sides will be too difficult for Niagara to overcome. Syracuse has quicker, more explosive guards. Its forwards, if not more polished, are undoubtedly bigger. And Copeland leads a bench group capable of carrying over seamlessly from its starters to secure a season-high fourth straight victory.

While there isn’t one specific category, player or matchup to keep an eye on, Syracuse will probably win, handily.

Stat to know: 101

Knocking down 8-of-11 free throws in a game-best 18-point effort against Oregon, Mintz has now tallied 101 attempts from the charity stripe so far this year, the most in the ACC. Second place belongs to North Carolina’s Armando Bacot (60).

After Mintz’s career-high, 33-point performance in an 80-57 victory over LSU on Nov. 28, SU head coach Adrian Autry marveled at his guard’s feel for drawing contact and getting to the line. “I haven’t seen a lot of guys that can move like that,” Autry said.

Niagara’s shaky defense will likely stand no chance facing Mintz’s premier slashing ability and the abundance of free-throw chances that follow.

Player to watch: Ahmad Henderson II, guard, No. 11

Despite being an undersized 5-foot-9, Henderson II is a twitchy guard and Niagara’s go-to guy on offense. He leads the Purple Eagles in points per game and shot attempts while averaging a team-high 28.4 minutes on the floor.

Coming out of high school, the Illinois native was an unranked prospect, according to 247Sports, but is now among the nation’s top 10 in freshman scoring.

Published on December 20, 2023 at 9:13 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff