The top college basketball games on Sunday are in the middle of the afternoon, with Marquette vs. Missouri, Baylor vs. Texas, and Creighton vs. Iowa, all in neutral settings. The best of the bunch with a home team is the 7 p.m. ET tip-off between Syracuse and St. John’s. This will be a good one to check out between the 4 p.m. NFL window and the Sunday night game, or just one to lock in on if you are more of a hoops fan.
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Syracuse at St. John’s (-12.5, 150.5) Prediction
Sunday, 7 p.m. ET (Peacock)
Peacock will have the broadcast of this one, so you’ll have to have the streaming service to watch. There are some pretty good shows on there, plus a lot of good network comedies, so it’s worth the investment, if we ever get a time when the sports calendar slows down and you can tune into that kind of programming.
This will be Syracuse’s first game since the near-miss in Indianapolis on Monday against the Hoosiers. There were 13 lead changes in the game and the Orange led at half, but just didn’t quite make enough plays down the stretch for first-year head coach and former Syracuse star Gerry McNamara. Still, it was a good first showing against a quality opponent after crushing New Haven and Central Connecticut at home.
This will be the first big test for the Johnnies, who are 3-0 with wins by 15, 39, and 31 over Monmouth, Iona, and Colgate, respectively. The blowouts allowed Rick Pitino to take a look at the entirety of his roster, as 15 players have gotten onto the floor thus far. He’ll have to cut his rotations down in this one, and that will be an interesting thing to follow. It seems like Pitino is still working on who his guys will be, especially with the bigs.
Four-time transfer Keyshawn Hall will play a huge part, and already has with a 27.7% Usage Rate. Ruben Prey is an intriguing case, as the 6-foot-11 junior who took 101 shots last season has gotten some extended minutes in the early going. Tounde Yessoufou from Baylor and 6-foot-10 Reed Bailey from Indiana have also gotten ample time. Pitino has a very talented team, but nearly all of last season’s production is elsewhere this season, so he has to figure out who his high-leverage guys are going to be. This is a good opportunity as a big favorite in a game that should have some tight moments.
McNamara took Siena dancing last season, even though the Saints only shot 30.6% from 3. For a guy like him, a lack of distance shooting had to be a real source of frustration. Thus far, the Orange are firing away at 36.8% from deep, including a solid 8-of-19 effort against the Hoosiers. What McNamara has likely spent the week working on is rebounding drills, as the Orange were beaten up on the offensive glass by Indiana. Seven-footers Abdramane Siby and Iker Martinez aren’t prominent factors yet, as Siby has played 40 minutes over three games and Martinez has only stepped on the court in mop-up duty and did not play at all against Indiana.
That will be the matchup to follow here. Pitino seems to have more trust in Prey and Bailey, so the Johnnies could find a lot of success at the rim here. With a variety of good shooters on the wings, McNamara will need Siena transfer Gavin Doty and McNeese transfer Garwey Dual to get out on those guys. He’ll also need a big effort from App State transfer Luke Wilson, who is 10-of-13 on 2s and shot 62.1% on them last season, but was mostly acquired via the portal to help on the glass and with rim protection. How this game is officiated will matter as well, given that Wilson is the only trusted traditional big right now.
Syracuse vs. St. John’s Prediction
After 53.8% of Syracuse’s made field goals were assisted in the first half against Indiana, only 33.3% of them were in the second half. The Hoosiers adjusted, but it was also a good learning experience for the young Orange, who Torvik ranks 322nd in Roster Experience. But, we saw the talent on display and I think Syracuse can keep this game interesting for a while. It’s a step up in class for St. John’s and Pitino is still evaluating who he can rely on. By no means am I expecting an upset, but winning by 13+ is a bit optimistic for the Red Storm in my opinion.
Pick: Syracuse +12.5
