Syracuse faces two opponents in its final non-conference game with Stonehill

Syracuse and their final non-conference basketball opponent, Stonehill, share something despite being over 250 places apart in the KenPom rankings. They both got wrecked by Iowa State this season, as the Orange (8-4) lost to the Cyclones by 31 points in Las Vegas nine days after the Skyhawks (3-9) suffered a 39-point rout to them on the road.

While that shared opponent is just one data point, the other data point known as a chasm between the two teams at KenPom actually creates a second opponent for SU for tonight’s meeting at the JMA Wireless Dome: themselves.

The Orange need to show they can play a complete game

Since Syracuse upset Tennessee almost three weeks ago, they have been in a funk marked by a lack of attention to detail and focus in their last four games against lesser competition. The results in that time have been choppy, including an upset loss to Hofstra.

Asking the Orange to snap out of this funk and give 100 percent of their attention to KenPom’s #339 team tonight involves an extra degree of difficulty. On the other side of this game is SU’s holiday break, which will be the last time where basketball will not be the number one thing on the players’ minds (apologies to the educators on campus) for the next three months.

Stonehill has defeated only one Division I team this season, edging Lafayette a month ago, 74-70, and having such a weak opponent will likely not grab the Syracuse roster’s attention. Of course, the Skyhawks do have a few players that can cause problems if the Orange are not ready to play.

Stonehill has a couple players who can burn SU on offense

Top scorer Hermann Koffi leads the team with 15.3 points per game with almost 62 percent of his points coming from beyond the arc. Koffi has made 38 3-pointers this season at a 42.2 percent clip, including torching DePaul for seven treys and 27 points.

Ridvan Tutic, the 6’11” center, recently returned from a minor injury and has posted double-doubles in two games since returning to health. A traditional big who operates closer to the rim, Tutic shoots just under 60 percent from the floor and is a strong rebounder on both ends of the court.

Raymond Espinal-Guzman is a steady power forward and Davante Hackett a streaky 3-point shooting wing, but both average a hair under ten points per game. Chas Stinson averages over eight points and almost six rebounds per game as a power guard.

But, the Skyhawks' overall offense plays into Syracuse's defensive strengths

However, when they are all added together, the Stonehill offense has struggled mightily this season. Collectively, their offensive efficiency is submarined by poor shooting, particularly near the rim. The Skyhawks are among the worst teams in the country at shooting “close 2’s” as listed at T-Rank.

When this poor interior shooting is married to a high turnover rate and low free throw rate, it points to a simple endpoint. Stonehill simply does not generate a lot of easy points.

On paper, the Skyhawks seem like a custom-built opponent for an Orange team looking to head off for a few days’ vacation on a high note. They are a team that SU should be able to bully on defense by forcing turnovers on the perimeter and harassing them on inside looks at the rim.

The problem is the word “should” is not the word “will”. So, it depends on entirely on how the Orange show up to play.

Syracuse 88, Stonehill 72.

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