Preview: Orange to Take on Terriers

By Mason Walling

C.J. Fair - from accbasketball.com

 

The Syracuse men’s basketball team takes on its fourth straight New York opponent tonight, hosting the Terriers of St. Francis (Brooklyn) at the Carrier Dome starting at 7:30. The Orange currently boasts a 3-0 record, having defeated Cornell, Fordham, and Colgate all at the Carrier Dome.

           
 Syracuse is led by senior forward C.J. Fair, who is averaging 21.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game.  The team has also had a strong offensive start from sophomore guard Trevor Cooney, who scored his career best 27 points behind seven three pointers in the 82-60 win over Cornell.  Freshman
Tyler Ennis continues to try to establish himself as a dominant starting point guard, averaging just under 10 points and four assists per game.

The Terriers enter this matchup with a 2-1 record, coming off of two tight victories over the University of Miami (66-62 in OT) and Florida Atlantic (59-57) before losing to the University of Dayton by 20 points.  Last season’s second-team All-NEC selection Jalen Cannon leads the Terriers thus far with an average of 14.3 points per game.  The team is averaging 61 total points per game, which is exactly what Syracuse is averaging in points given up per game.

These two schools have only met three times, with Syracuse winning all three, the most recent of which was in 2009.

Tonight’s contest is actually the first round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational, in which Syracuse will travel to Hawaii to compete in regardless of the outcome of against St. Francis.  The Orange takes on the Golden Gophers of Minnesota at the Lahaina Civic Center on Monday, Nov. 25.