BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Notre Dame @ Syracuse

January 30, 2007



Syracuse, 4-3 in the Big East conference, return home to the Carrier Dome tonight looking to snap a two-game losing strak tonight when they host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a Big East Conference match-up. The Irish are 5-3 in Big East play, but are still looking for their first conference road win.


Here are the pregame stories and previews from around the internet this morning:


No Friendship for 40 Minutes During Notre Dame Game Tonight (South Bend Tribune)
This Year's Irish Hustle Their Way to Wins (Post-Standard)
Which SU Team Will Show Up to Host Irish (AP Story in Rochester D&C)
Irish Take on Desperate Orange (Journal Gazette)
Headstrong or Pigheaded, carter Paces Irish (NY Times)


Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW


Syracuse enters the game as a 3-pt favorite, however, the Pomeroy Computer rankings are predicting the Irish as one-point winners tonight. Syracuse is coming off a very disappointing loss on Saturday night at Louisville. The Orange led 65-51 with 9:44 left in the contest but saw Louisville outscore SU 25-6 to finish the game, limiting SU to one field goal in that span and score nine 2nd chance points. The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for Syracuse as it was their second loss in a row on the road, following up on the heels of a loss at St. John's, another one they had a lead late only to lose.

Notre Dame found the opposite fate with their game on Saturday as the Irish rallied from a seven-point defecit in the last eight minutes to beat Villanova, 66-63, at home. Colin Falls scored 10 of his 23 points in the final six minutes to lead the rally for the Irish, who are 5-3 in the conference, but are still looking for their first road win of the season.

After their meltdown against Louisville, Syracuse should be plenty fired up for this game. With a large crowd expected at the 'Loud House', Syracuse is going to need to play a full 40 minutes with consistent efforts on the boards and the defensive end. All too often, this Syracuse team seems to be holding together by a string that stretches to its limit and they suffer defensive breakdowns, long stretches of no rebounding and some mind-boggling decisions with the basketball. They can not afford to be careless tonight against Notre Dame, a team that will hustle and play together to try and steal a win on the road.

Eadch side has some match-up advantages that could be taken advantage of. With Syracuse a little more desperate for a win, I could see them trying to use their press a little more often to try and rattle the young freshmen point guard duo of Tory Jackson and Jonathan Peoples. Syracuse's depth is not a strength, so only certain line-up combinations would be useful with a press, but the Orange should be able to take advantage of some length and athleticism and force the Irish into uncomfortable situations if they look to take advantage of an edge they have.

On the Irish side, they will probably be very happy to see Syracuse sit in their normal 2-3 zone. This allows Colin Falls to get comfortable and find seems to set-up and launch from beyond the arc. The Irish are an outstanding passing club, especially with Rob Kurz at the PF position and getting the ball to him against the zone will likely open up his passing to Luke Harangody down low, to Russel Carter slashing to the basket and kick-outs to Falls.

This is a big game for both clubs. The Orange should be focused solely on winning after the tough defeat to Louisville and staying above the bottleneck that has become the middle of the conference should be their most imeediate goal when taking care of business at home. Notre Dame will hope to hang around long enough and then make the hustle plays and a few shots down the stretch and hope Syracuse will self-destruct againt.

With ND's poor road record, I think this will be a solid win for the Orange at home. Notre Dame definitely poses some match-up isues, but overall, this is a game the Orange should and must have

NBE Blogger Prediction: Syracuse 77 Notre Dame 68