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Syracuse’s losing streak hit three in a 29-point blowout loss at No. 16 Illinois on Tuesday night. The Orange struggled shooting for all 40 minutes, recording their fewest amount of points since a November 2019 loss against Virginia. No SU player reached double-digit points, with Joe Girard III held scoreless for the second time in his career, and Judah Mintz going 3-of-16 from the field.

The Orange now prepare to travel to South Bend, Indiana, to face Notre Dame, which sits at 6-1 after its win against Michigan State on Wednesday night. The Fighting Irish lost their first game of the season Friday against St. Bonaventure, and are coming off a 24-11 season that included a run to the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32, where they lost to 3rd-seeded Texas Tech. 

Here’s what our beat writers predict will happen when Syracuse travels to face Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon: 

Anish Vasudevan (5-2) 
Wherefore art thou Joe?
Syracuse 68, Notre Dame 64

Jim Boeheim said if Girard doesn’t have any confidence now as a senior, he shouldn’t be playing. Girard followed up a season-high 31 points against Richmond, including 21 in the first half, with three of the worst games in his career. He’s terrible right now, but that’s also because defenses have keyed in on him and Jesse Edwards, forcing the Orange’s young players to step up. 

The good thing about slumps is that they’re meant to be broken. The Fighting Irish have the worst 3-point defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference and will likely face the Orange off two straight losses, giving Girard the perfect chance to pick apart an already broken defense. Mintz may be the best player SU has, but Girard’s performances have proven to make or break Syracuse’s games so far this year. All the Orange need is Girard to deliver. 

Connor Smith (5-2)
An answered prayer
Syracuse 70, Notre Dame 68

It’s true that Syracuse is falling, fast, and is off to its worst seven-game start under Jim Boehiem. It’s also true that Notre Dame isn’t a great team, and at the same level as SU, per KenPom. The Fighting Irish didn’t play a top-100 team until hosting Michigan State on Wednesday night, and lost by 12 to St. Bonaventure. Unlike their game against Illinois Tuesday, the Orange can seriously compete against ND. 

Girard needs to find his groove, and so does Mintz. If they do on Saturday, the pieces are there to pick up an important road win. Syracuse has a good driver in Mintz, three good shooters in Girard, Chris Bell and Justin Taylor, an athletic wing in Benny Williams and a consistent center in Edwards. Boeheim just needs to put everything together, and I think we’ll start to see the early signs of that puzzle getting solved on Saturday. It’ll be a close game throughout, but Girard will bounce back with a few 3s, Mintz will have more efficient performance and Edwards will dominate the glass again. And I think the Orange will do just enough defensively late to escape with an upset win in the shadow of ‘Touchdown Jesus.’ 

Anthony Alandt (4-3) 
Well this stinks
Notre Dame 78, Syracuse 65

Tuesday night’s performance was historically bad. Syracuse is going to turn in games like that every so often this year, but it shouldn’t be indicative of the overall talent on this team. It happens, but it’s likely to happen again if Girard and Mintz have abysmal performances like they did against Illinois. Notre Dame presents a similar challenge, especially on the road, for the Orange, despite coming off to a lackluster 6-1 start that featured narrow wins over Lipscomb and a loss to St. Bonaventure.

The Irish, though historically good against Syracuse, are struggling on defense while its starting five players are averaging double-digit points. This road test will likely be closer than Illinois turned out to be, but don’t expect Syracuse to suddenly shoot at a high level. Similarly, don’t expect Syracuse’s defense to overnight lock down an offense that is shooting 48.9% from the field and 35.4% on 3-pointers.

Published on November 30, 2022 at 11:10 pm