Syracuse has underwhelmed this season, sputtering to a below .500 record at 6-7, and it won’t get any easier with a matchup against 9-4 Florida State on the road.
The Orange are coming off an 81-71 loss to Wake Forest in its official ACC opener, the team’s third loss in its last four games. The Seminoles have lost three of their previous five games, but the numbers say that Florida State is the more likely team to break its recent slump.
Syracuse remains one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country, hitting 5.3 three-pointers per game on a poor 28.5% from deep. Florida State has a slight edge over the Orange with 6.5 made three-pointers per game but is shooting a more efficient 32.8% from beyond the arc. Over its last three games, the Seminoles have hit 37% from deep, and that’s a problem for the Orange.
Aside from the three-pointer issue, Syracuse will have its hands full trying to slow down Florida State’s pace. The Seminoles prefer a fast-tempo offense, and that doesn’t bode well for the Orange, who have struggled to defend in transition and are prone to give up points on the fastbreak.
Florida State will get plenty of opportunities to run and gun in this one. Syracuse is averaging 13.2 turnovers per game, and the Seminoles are one of the best teams in the country at pressing the ball, with 9.2 steals per game.
If that wasn’t telling enough, the Orange are winless on the road this season. The team sports a 6-2 record in the JMA Wireless Dome but is a miserable 0-5 in games away from it. Playing in front of a raucous Florida State crowd won’t make it easier for Syracuse to pull off the upset.
If anything, this game will be a litmus test for the Orange. The early-season dreams of an NCAA tournament bid are already over, but there’s still time for Syracuse to turn its season around and a win over the Seminoles would be a great start.
