The “Big Ten – ACC Challenge,” takes another twist when the Hoosiers hit the road to play undefeated Syracuse. Tyler Ennis and Trevor Cooney came up huge for the Orange out in Maui. The pair offers a formidable 1-2 punch for a unit that had to replace much of its back court from last year.
I was a bit skeptical about this Orangemen group a few weeks back, but they looked good in Hawaii. Some of that was pure fortune, as Minnesota lacked the interior depth to really challenge them over 40 minutes and Cal had to play them without the services of Richard Solomon. Still, their interior depth is unreal and C.J. Fair is as talented a small forward as you will find.
Indiana has issues offensively in lieu of the departure of last season’s top two scorers. They have aggressive playmakers who can go at the basket, but they struggled to finish enough in their tight loss to UConn last week.
Jeremy Hollowell and Noah Vonleh provide two athletic bigs to attack this two three zone. Both are large enough and quick enough to get to the rim. But neither has had to face a zone with the length and overall prowess that Syracuse possesses.
Will Sheehy is their most veteran and capable rotation piece against this sort of defense. At 6’7, he is big enough to both work the high post and middle of the 2-3, while also being a good enough shooter to burn the Orange from the outside or the short corner.
Sheehy will be a major factor in this game, but it ultimately comes down to how Yogi Ferrell handles himself. Ferrell has potential, but he struggled in last season’s NCAA tournament to get the ball to Indiana’s top scorers inside when these two teams faced off in the Sweet 16. Those problems could very well be on display again given the fact that so many new players will be on the court for Indiana, and their lack of experience against this kind of zone should resonate once more.
Indiana does boast an excellent defense and has more than a few guys to throw at Fair and company. Syracuse has a slew of bodies who can bang down low, but none of them are great scorers capable of dominating a game. Should Indiana’s key bigs stay out of foul trouble, they undoubtedly have enough punch on that end to keep this one low scoring and tight.
I see it unlikely that the Orange win this one going away. I think this game stays tight for the better part of 35 minutes, with the Orange being a likely 6.5-7 point favorite. Vegas seems to agree as they have this one at 6.
