Orangeyes Daily Articles for Tuesday for Basketball

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SU News

Syracuse forwards Quincy Guerrier (1), and Alan Griffin (0) battle North Carolina State forward Manny Bates (15) for a rebound during an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Syracuse, N.Y. (Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard via AP) APAP

Can Quincy Guerrier go big? What to know about SU at NC State (PS; $; Waters)

Can Quincy Guerrier go big? What to know about Syracuse at North Carolina State - syracuse.com
Syracuse needs quality wins. More to the point, the Orange needs quality wins on the road.

That’s why Syracuse’s game at North Carolina State on Tuesday night is so important.

As Syracuse tries to put together a resume worthy of an NCAA tournament bid, the Orange needs a quality road win like a student applying to college needs a letter of recommendation and volunteer hours.

Syracuse (10-6 overall, 4-5 ACC) has no wins over Quadrant 1 opponents. The Orange is just 1-5 on the road this season, with the only win outside the Carrier Dome coming against Boston College on Dec. 12.

North Carolina State (8-7, 4-6) will pose a challenge, but the Wolfpack could also be the Orange’s best chance at a road win in the last month of the season. Syracuse beat NC State 76-73 just over a week ago at the Carrier Dome.
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Opponent preview: What to know about NC State before 2nd game against SU (DO; Crane)

In the middle of another season perpetually on the NCAA Tournament bubble, with opportunities to change that slowly slipping away, Syracuse (10-6, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) travels to NC State on Tuesday night for its second meeting with the Wolfpack (8-7, 4-6). The Orange won by three points on Jan. 31 but were blown out by Clemson in its one game since.

Quincy Guerrier remains SU’s leading scorer at 15.8 points per game — continuing the strides he’s made in his sophomore season — while all four other starters average double-digit points, too.

Here’s everything you need to know about NC State:

All-time series​

Syracuse leads, 8-6

Last time they played

Syracuse erased a nine-point halftime deficit against the Wolfpack on Jan. 31, using 19 points from Alan Griffin and 17 from Buddy Boeheim to scrape past 76-73. It was NC State’s first game without leading scorer Devon Daniels — who tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season — and Jericole Hellems led the matchup with 24 points and nine rebounds. A final heave from Cam Hayes bounced harmlessly off the backboard, and SU survived to keep its waning Tournament hopes alive.

Kenpom odds ​

NC State has a 52% chance to win, with a projected score of 75-74
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Scouting the NC State Wolfpack (SI; McAllister)

Syracuse plays at NC State Tuesday night looking to get back into the win column. How does the Orange match up with the Wolfpack?

THREE POINT SHOOTING

NC State is a good three point shooting team at 35.7% (sixth in the ACC). Braxton Beverly is their best outside shooter at 40.4% and there are five other players over 34% on the season. That gives the Wolfpack several options to shoot over the zone. That includes Jericole Hellems at 39.5% and Thomas Allen at 37.5%. That said, other than Beverly, NC State struggled from the outside against Syracuse. Beverly finished 3-5, largely off of drive and dish situations. The rest of the team was just 3-18 from beyond the arc. If NC State is going to win this one, they will likely need to shoot better from distance.

BIGS

Starting center Manny Bates had a field day against Syracuse in the first meeting. He had 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. The 6-11, 230 pound sophomore was too much for Syracuse to handle. He is big, physical and an elite rim protector.
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Beat writers unsure if Syracuse can defeat North Carolina State (DO; Staff)

Three days after its 17-point loss to Clemson, Syracuse will face NC State for the two teams’ second meeting of the season. The Orange erased a nine-point halftime deficit on Jan. 31 in their narrow 76-73 victory over the Wolfpack in the Carrier Dome.

Here’s what The Daily Orange’s beat writers think will happen on Tuesday when the Orange (10-6, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) face the Wolfpack (8-7, 4-6) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Andrew Crane
Return of the pack
NC State 77, Syracuse 67

Even without Devon Daniels, its top scorer, NC State would’ve beaten Syracuse on Jan. 31 if D.J. Funderburk had played. And he will on Tuesday. The Orange don’t even look like an NCAA Tournament bubble team after they were shellacked on Saturday against Clemson, and season-long defensive problems keep reappearing. Manny Bates and Jericole Hellems proved to be big problems for SU, and Funderburk returning will only worsen that.

Look for SU to keep the game close for the first 30 minutes, but NC State’s forward depth — Funderburk, Bates, Hellems — may prove to be too much for the Orange. Syracuse’s season is no longer on the bubble after Tuesday. It will need to win the entire ACC tournament for a chance at postseason play.

Anthony Dabbundo
Not done yet
Syracuse 78, NC State 75

SU’s 17-point loss to Clemson on Saturday knocked Syracuse off the bubble, and now Tuesday night in Raleigh is a true must-win situation. Syracuse barely squeaked by the Wolfpack in the first meeting, and the return of Funderburk to the lineup will present SU another challenge. But the Orange will have Bourama Sidibe for at least limited minutes to help on the glass and could help stabilize SU. He played 11 minutes against Clemson and should be able to play at least that much on Tuesday. The Wolfpack are not nearly as physical or good defensively as Clemson, as Syracuse’s offense showed in the first meeting.

Just when everyone counts Syracuse over and done is when they tend to respond, and I think they’ll get a response on Tuesday night, taking a modest lead into the half and hanging on late for a road win to save any chance of an at-large bid.

But make no mistake. A win over NC State, even on the road, won’t be nearly enough to get them into the tournament.
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Syracuse Orange v. NC State Wolfpack Prediction & Preview (2/9/21) - The Juice Online (the juice; Staff)

Syracuse travels to North Carolina to take on the NC State Wolfpack on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. (TV: ACCN). Ahead of the game, The Juice Online’s Jim Stechschulte gives his predictions below.

Jim Stechschulte
Season Record 0-0

There is no reason to expect Syracuse to defeat N.C. State on Tuesday night. Yes, the Orange squeaked by the Wolfpack back on January 31, but they had to rally from a double-digit deficit and hold on late, nearly blowing their lead in the final seconds.

N.C. State had just lost their top scorer, Devon Daniels, for the season and was missing D.J. Funderburk for the game due to an off-court issue, yet they had no trouble scoring in the first half and simply went ice cold from long range after halftime.

Funderburk has since returned for the ‘Pack and piled up 14 points and seven boards in 21 minutes off the bench in their last game. His return should bolster an N.C. State attack led by Jericole Hellems, who rolled up 24 points on the Orange, and Manny Bates, who dominated inside all night against SU, finishing with a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double and four blocks.
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NC State hopes to exact revenge on Syracuse (backingthepack.com; Muma)

What, Syracuse again? It feels like NC State just played these guys like a week ago. Since the Wolfpack and Orange met in Syracuse, the Pack has a blowout win over Boston College and the Orange have a 17-point loss at Clemson.

NC State’s first half performance in the first meeting was a thing of beauty, and with a nine-point lead at the break, State had pushed its win probability to about 60%. Then the rest of the game happened. NC State scored only nine points over the initial 10 minutes of the second half, allowing Syracuse to claw back into the lead and take the game from there.

This was State’s first game without Devon Daniels, and there were positives, stagnant second half aside: Manny Bates went for 17 and 14, Jericole Hellems was 9-17 inside the arc, and Braxton Beverly made multiple three-pointers for just the third time in league play.

State shot 55% inside the arc while grabbing 35% of its missed shots. And in general, State took good care of the basketball. The approach against Syracuse’s zone was good, and in the first half the execution matched it. With a little more consistency—and maybe not going oh-fer beyond the arc for a half—there’s no reason why NC State can’t come away with some revenge Tuesday night.
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The stats that have defined Syracuse with 1 month until Selection Sunday (DO; Emerman)

After Syracuse’s 78-61 loss to Clemson, the Orange (10-6, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) enter the home stretch of its season on the outside of the bubble looking in.

With seven scheduled conference games remaining, the Orange are more than halfway through its ACC slate. We took a look at the numbers that have defined SU’s season with three weeks remaining in the regular season.

The Good​

Quincy Guerrier’s turnover rate: 5.4%

Quincy Guerrier has been Syracuse’s best and most consistent player this year, breaking out from his limited offensive role from freshman year. He’s had four 20-point games and seven double-doubles. Though he’s improved his 3-point shooting, most of his damage comes inside.

Guerrier compounds his efficient scoring with an astronomically low turnover rate. He’s coughed it up on 5.4% of his possessions thus far, the eighth-lowest rate in Division I. The team as a whole doesn’t turn the ball over much, which helps keeps an offense that has struggled from behind the arc afloat. Guerrier’s a solid passer, but the next frontier for Guerrier is expanding his playmaking ability.

Kadary Richmond’s steal percentage: 5.3%

Freshman point guard Kadary Richmond has been a complete revelation and has already become a favorite not only with the fans, but with the advanced metrics. The analytics like him significantly more than both Joe Girard III and Buddy Boeheim. Richmond leads the team in box plus-minus (8.2) and defensive rating (92.6). His player efficiency rating is also significantly higher than that of Girard and Buddy.
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5 decades of 1st impressions with Jim Boeheim (DO; podcast; Staff)

This episode of The D.O. Sportscast, hosted by Thomas Shults, reveals the first impressions Jim Boeheim had on some of Syracuse men’s basketball’s most influential players. Beat writers Andrew Crane and Danny Emerman join the podcast to share some of the most noteworthy stories from the 17 players they with.

Our host and editorial director is Thomas Shults. Luca Serio is our executive producer, Moriah Humiston is our podcast editor and Anish Vasudevan is our assistant digital sports editor.

Listen on Spotify:

Can Syracuse Still Make the Tournament? – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Bonaparte)

Every college basketball team has at least one goal to begin the year, make the NCAA tournament. For Syracuse, that’s been a difficult task for the last half-decade. Bubble team after bubble team, 1st round exits and pure frustration have struck this program. This year it’s no different.

It’s apparent that at this point Syracuse won’t be receiving an invite to the big dance. The Orange are 10-6 overall, 4-5 within the ACC. If SU is to move on it will need to pick up some big wins, specifically Quadrant 1 wins. In case you were unaware, Quadrant wins are based upon an opposing team’s NET ranking and whether that team is being played at home, away, or a neutral site. If Syracuse beats a team at home against opponents ranked between No. 1 and No. 30 in the NET, it counts as a Quad 1 win, it counts the same if SU beats opponents ranked No. 1 through No. 50 at a neutral venue or against a top-75 opponent on the road.

So far this year, The Orange have had 5 chances at Quad 1 wins, all of which they lost. The most recent was the devastating defeat to Clemson. Left on the schedule are 3 more opportunities. Here’s the catch, they’re all away. The Orange would have to beat Louisville, Duke, and Georgia Tech on the road to really beef up their resume.

It hurts that the win hosting Virginia Tech doesn’t count as Quad 1, as at the time the Hokies were ranked 36th in NET, but at the same time it wouldn’t have made much difference. With that good win came a slew of bad ones, notably both suffered opposing Pittsburgh, and the two blowouts at the hands of Virginia and Clemson respectively.

To answer the question: Doubtful. You almost assuredly won’t see the Orange in the tournament this season. All SU fans can hope for, is that this team has a fire lit under it next season, and comes to play.

The NC State game on Tuesday should be telling for the rest of the season. The Orange downed the Wolfpack by just three to cap off January, they’ll need to provide a stronger performance than that one to come away with the same result away from the Dome.
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Virginia, Syracuse On Historic Pace From The Line (DBR; Jacobs)

The free throw is the most immutable element in basketball, executed from a standstill at a 15-foot distance from the basket and without active defensive pressure.

Those basics are unchanged since 1895, when the foul line was moved in from 20 feet. Who shoots free throws, and how many are awarded given the playing circumstances, have shifted over time, but the shot itself is unvarying regardless of player size, athleticism, stamina or any other factor.

Which makes it all the more impressive that, in this era when coaches and commentators bemoan a decline in players’ shooting mechanics and acuity, a pair of 2021 ACC teams are among the top four at converting foul shots in the conference’s 68-year history.

Through 16 games Virginia led the ACC and ranked second nationally in team free throw percentage at .8148. If the Cavaliers maintain that accuracy to season’s end they would set a new conference record, eclipsing the .8003 achieved by Notre Dame in 2017.

Syracuse at .7926 ranked second in the ACC, ninth among Division I teams after playing 16 games. If the Orange conclude the season shooting that well at the line they would stand fourth all-time among ACC squads.
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Other

Price Chopper and Tops Markets to merge (PS; $; Moriarty)

Price Chopper and Tops Markets to merge - syracuse.com
Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets plan to merge, creating an alliance of two iconic New York-based supermarket chains with nearly 300 stores across the Northeast.

The two companies announced Monday they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. The stores will retain their names, the companies said.

The new parent company will be headquartered in Schenectady. The Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets businesses will retain main offices in Schenectady and Williamsville and will continue to be managed locally by their respective leaders.

Tops spokesperson Kathy Sautter said the transaction is expected to close within several months, subject to regulatory approval.

Financial terms of the merger were not disclosed.

Scott Grimmett, Price Chopper/Market 32′s president and CEO, will be CEO of and serve on the board of directors of the new parent company, which will oversee the operations of nearly 300 Price Chopper, Market 32, Market Bistro and Tops Markets stores and collectively employ more than 30,000 people.

Frank Curci, Tops Markets chairman and CEO, will serve on the board of directors of the new parent company and as a consultant to assist in the transition.

Blaine Bringhurst, Price Chopper/Market 32′s executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and store operations, will lead the Price Chopper/Market 32 business. John Persons, Tops Markets president and chief operating officer, will lead the Tops Markets business.

“This merger marks a major step forward and collectively elevates our ability to compete on every level,” Grimmett said in a statement.
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