Syracuse has experience extreme highs and lows over the past two weeks and Tuesday presents the perfect chance for the Orange to get back on track. Less than two weeks ago, the Orange were 6-0, Battle 4 Atlantis Champions and on their way into the top 25. Now, Syracuse is on a two game skid having dropped a winnable home game and a huge rivalry game, and on the outside of the top 25.
Next up for the Orange is Upstate rival Colgate. If there was one opponent on the schedule that the Orange would hope to see when in need of a win to turn things around, it would be Colgate. Syracuse has shot the ball poorly over the past two games and, as a result, struggled to get anything going early, leading to bitter loses.
Syracuse can enter the game on Tuesday without having any anxiety about their shooting. Going into the Wisconsin and Georgetown games, it is safe to assume that the Orange knew they would have to shoot well to get results. There is significantly less pressure against an opponent like Colgate.
That is not to say that the Orange should be relaxed and complacent. They should be anything but. The game presents an opportunity for the Orange to come out with less pressure and find their shooting rhythm that has been missing the last week or so.
Tuesday also presents an opportunity for Mike Hopkins to get a better feel for being a head coach. That is not to say that he struggled in his first game as the head coach. The Georgetown loss was certainly not due to any decisions that Hopkins made. In fact, unsurprisingly, Hopkin’s being the head coach had really no¬†discernible effect on the team’s strategy or personnel.
The Colgate game is a huge opportunity for the Orange to figure things out, get their shooting rhythm back and make adjustments before they hit the road for another big rivalry game against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.
