Colgate has been a respectable opponent for Syracuse basketball over the last few years. The Orange won every matchup from 1963 to 2020, but then, the Raiders won two in a row. Those were impressive wins for Colgate too, with a 100-point performance in 2021 and a 12-point win in 2022. Last year, it took a 24-point comeback for SU to avoid a third straight loss. Basically, it’s been a loss, or almost a loss, in recent memory.
This year can’t be the same. There is no excuse for Colgate to even keep it close with Syracuse. Now, yes, it’s been a good game as of late. And yes, Le Moyne fell by just four points in SU’s season opener. However, Colgate just isn’t as good as it has been as of late.
The Raiders have made five NCAA Tournament appearances since 2019. This year, that might change. Colgate is 0-1 to start the year, with an ugly 73-56 loss to the CAA’s Drexel under its belt. That’s why the Raiders are ranked at 244 in KenPom, compared to all the way up at 150 at the end of last season.
Another thing to consider: Colgate lost all three of its leading scorers from last year. Two graduated, while the other, Braeden Smith, transferred to Gonzaga. That means the Raiders are a pretty inexperienced team, yet another reason they should lose handily.
Most importantly, you get one ugly win. That’s it. Syracuse already had one of those against Le Moyne. To prove that was a fluke, the win over Colgate can’t be close. It can’t be a comeback. Instead, it has to be a beatdown. This is an opportunity for head coach Adrian Autry to prove he can make game-to-game adjustments. It’s a chance for veteran players like Chris Bell and JJ Starling to show they don’t just fill the stat sheet, they can lead the team to a dominating win. Plus, freshman phenom Donnie Freeman can continue to build confidence.
Please dominate this game, Syracuse. This isn’t the Colgate you’ve been used to recently.
