Syracuse (2-0) takes on Texas Southern (0-3) Saturday night in the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m. The Orange is coming off a 71-62 win over Iona while the Tigers suffered an 18-point loss to Ohio State. Tyus Battle led all scorers once again with 28 points against the Gaels, while Frank Howard and Oshae Brissett chipped in 15 and 12, respectively. Paschal Chukwu led the way on the glass with 10 rebounds. Our beat writers make picks and discuss Syracuse’s third game of the season.

Sam Fortier (2-0)
Southern Comfort
Syracuse 80, Texas Southern 60

The most interesting thing that will happen on Saturday night in the Dome is that we’ll get to see Syracuse big man Paschal Chukwu square up in the post with TSU big man Trayvon Reed. They are both 7-foot-2. Other than that, the Tigers have just two players taller than 6-foot-4 and both are role players who aren’t on the court more than 30 percent of the time. All this said, Syracuse has a size and skill advantage that won’t be overcome.

Matthew Gutierrez (2-0)
Eye of the Tiger
Syracuse 62, Texas Southern 58

Texas Southern is no slouch. Based on Syracuse’s performance Tuesday night against Iona — an NCAA Tournament team a year ago, granted, but no ACC power by any stretch — this matchup figures to be close. The Tigers are accustomed to big-time basketball and have made four consecutive NCAA Tournaments. SU and TSU play even until the final minutes.

Tomer Langer (2-0)
More of the same
Syracuse 74, Texas Southern 56

These two teams matched up two years ago. The only player left from that game is Frank Howard as both teams have had major turnover. And with that, Texas Southern doesn’t seem well-equipped to beat this Orange team. Yes, SU has seemed to struggle on offense without a Tyus Battle bailout, but that might still be enough against TSU. Through three games the Tigers are shooting 42 percent from the field and 32 percent from deep. That won’t cut it on the road against a team like SU.