Before the season, who would’ve thought that a Syracuse win on Wednesday would be considered an upset? Probably not too many people.
Well, since the season began, Syracuse and No. 16 Ohio State have not started so similarly.
The Orange comes in 3-2 with losses to Connecticut and No. 18 Oregon. On the flip side, the Buckeyes are 6-0 with road wins over Cincinnati and Creighton.
When it comes to playing on the road for Syracuse, the Orange is 6-14 in its last 20 away games.
SU will enter as 5-point underdogs in a matchup that truly doesn’t seem like a favorable one.
Ohio State ranks 8th in the NCAA in opponent field goal percentage (35.5%). Meanwhile, Syracuse is 321st out of 351 in field goal percentage (39.7%), and second-to-last in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (23.3%).
It‚Äôs evident that SU‚Äôs scoring struggles have come from a lack of offensive rhythm. An underwhelming level of ball movement often has the Orange forcing up low-percentage shots with the shot clock wound down. Hence, the alarmingly poor start… when you don‚Äôt get good looks, it‚Äôs hard to shoot efficiently.
It would almost seem a bit mean if the Buckeyes carve through the Orange on Wednesday night. Before stumbling out of the polls, Syracuse started the season ranked 16th in the country. Three weeks later, Ohio State has stolen that ranking away, and a convincing win at home would just add insult to injury.
Already in need of a quality win, the Orange will also try to reverse some history.
Syracuse is 2-5 all-time against the Buckeyes, with the two sides last meeting in the 2012 Elite 8. Ohio State walked out on top in that one, 77-70. The Orange is also 0-2 on the road in Big Ten-ACC Challenge matchups.
Tipoff in Columbus is at 7:00.
