Syracuse leaves their friendly confines for a step up in competition when they face Drexel

After picking up victories in their first two games at home, Syracuse leaves the familiar surroundings of the JMA Wireless Dome to take on Drexel at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. While the Dragons call Philly home, this will be a neutral site game for both teams, as it is off-campus.

More of note to the Orange is that Drexel comes into the game with a 1-2 mark on the season after dropping their last two games at Saint Joseph’s and Colgate. Their win came in a season-opening rout of lower-level opponent Widener.

Drexel has struggled on defense against D-I opponents

The Dragons’ defense struggled greatly in their last game, giving up 90 points while allowing Colgate to shoot 63.0 percent in the game. While they were not quite as troubled against Saint Joseph’s, one thing was true in both contests: fouling.

Drexel sent their opponents to the line 57 times over the two games, committing 43 fouls in the process compared to getting whistled just ten times against that overmatched Widener team. An even more athletic Orange squad would likely present problems for the Dragons when it comes to staying out of foul trouble. While SU has gotten off to a slow start at the stripe, sending a parade there is not a likely strategy.

Syracuse has also been slow out of the gates on the 3-point arc. While they are shooting under 29 percent on the young season from long range, facing Drexel could be the thing that gets them going.

The Dragons’ defense outside the arc has been anything but fearsome. Their Division One opponents have connected on 45.2 percent of their 3-pointers. This could be the opportunity for Nate Kingz to get comfortable in the Orange offense and Donnie Freeman could get things going in the right direction in this facet of his game.

Perimeter shooting has been the Dragons' primary offensive weapon

Drexel has used eight players in every game this season, spreading minutes around, but relying heavily on their guards for scoring punch. Their top four scorers on the season are all guards with their top three all showing a penchant for long-range shooting.

Shane Blakeney has drained 9-of-20 3-pointers (45.0 percent) en route to a team-high 14.3 points per game. Eli Beard (6-of-18, 33.3 percent) and Kevon Vanderhorst (5-of-12, 41.7 percent) have also been strong contributors from the outside. The Orange defense will again need to harass their opponents on the perimeter.

The Dragon bigs offer pretty good size, but are much more concerning as rebounders than as shot deterrents. The 7’1” Ralph Akuta has eight of the team’s 13 blocks on the season, but collected six of them against Widener. He saw just four minutes against Saint Joseph’s and did not play against Colgate.

There is a second seven-footer on the Drexel roster in Martin de Laporterie, who provides some offensive rebounding off the bench along with starting center Garfield Turner. While that duo bangs the glass well on both ends of the floor, neither has been an effective scorer.

It's a step up for Syracuse, but not that steep of one

While Drexel is a step up in competition from what the Orange have seen this far, they are another foe that should be overmatched. With the game not being on campus and in an NBA arena, there are plenty of seats for SU fans to snap up in the area, likely turning this crowd into a true neutral or even possibly supportive group.

In any case, this will be an opportunity to see how the Syracuse defense works against a higher level of competition and if the offense can improve while facing a stronger foe. The Orange should be able to slow down the Dragons’ perimeter attack while still getting work done inside while hopefully finding their range behind the arc.

Syracuse 78, Drexel 61.

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