Orange Welcome Hurricanes for Saturday Tilt

Game Details: Saturday, January 24, Syracuse, NY, 2:00 p.m.
Live Stream: ACC Network
Live Coverage: Stats
X (Twitter): @Cuse_MBB | @Cuse
Instagram: @cuse_mbb
Facebook: Syracuse Orange
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Miami Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule

Syracuse (12-7, 3-3 ACC) welcomes Miami (15-4, 4-2 ACC) to the JMA Wirless Dome on Saturday, January 24 for an ACC clash. It's the Otto's Army annual "Blizzard" game. All fans are encouraged to wear white.

Staying Home
The Orange are staying home this weekend, marking the first time they've had back-to-back ACC games at the JMA Wireless Dome this season. Syracuse has thrived at home with an overall 9-3 record while averaging 76.8 points and holding opponents to 64.6 points per game on Boeheim Court.

Senior William Kyle III has particularly flourished on the home court, averaging 10.3 points per contest while racking up 3.3 blocks per game at the Dome. He has cleaned the glass in front of the home crowd too, grabbing a squad best 8.2 boards per game.

Sophomore Donnie Freeman is the team's leading scorer at home, averaging 18.5 points per game while securing 7.3 rebounds per game. Freeman was crucial in the home victory over Florida State just over a week ago, pouring in 25 points on 9-of-12 (.750) shooting while snaring eight boards.

3-Point Shooting
Since beginning ACC-play, the Orange have been one of the league's most efficient 3-point shooting teams. Syracuse has sunk 50-of-124 (.403) shots from beyond the arc, the third-best percentage in the league behind SMU (.430) and NC State (.409).

The Orange have leaned on a pair of sharpshooters to spearhead the offense from 3-point range, with sophomore Tyler Betsey and Nate Kingz leading the charge.

Betsey has been red-hot from beyond the arc, drilling 13-of-22 (.591) of his 3-point attempts during ACC play. He had a marquee performance just over a week ago when he drained six triples in the win over Florida State.

Kingz has hit at least one 3-pointer in every ACC matchup thus far, including going 5-of-6 (.833) against Boston College a week ago. His 3-point mark in league-play is 13-of-31 (.419).

The Orange have kept ACC opponents from getting hot from 3-point range on the defensive end, with foes shooting just 35-of-124 (.282) from deep, the second least 3-pointers surrendered of any ACC team.

Scouting Miami
Miami enters the weekend at 15-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play. The Hurricanes got out to a hot start to their ACC slate with four straight wins but have dropped their previous two contests against Clemson and Florida State.

The Hurricanes bring a balanced attack to Syracuse, averaging 84.8 points on offense, the third most in the ACC, while also holding opponents to just 68.9 points. They lead the ACC in field goals made with 588, shooting .506 from the field.

Malik Reneau leads the Hurricanes offensively, averaging 19.7 points per game. Reneau has scored 15 points or more in 17 games up to this point and is seventh in the conference for points per game.

Miami has three players inside of the ACC's top 20 scorers, and Tre Donaldson is not far behind Reneau. On top of leading the Hurricanes with 6.4 assists per game, he is averaging 16 points. Donaldson has been stifled as of late, though, scoring less than 10 points for the first time all season when he mustered just five points against Clemson last weekend.

Shelton Henderson is another key contributor, averaging 14.3 points per game. Henderson boasts the third-best field goal percentage in the league, shooting .620 from the floor.

Miami Coach Jai Lucas is in his first season coaching for the Hurricanes and has made an immediate impact. He is 15-4 with the team and has the Hurricanes tied for fourth in the ACC standings. Lucas most recently served as an associate head coach at Duke before stepping into his current role at Miami.

Series History
Syracuse and Miami have met 34 times before, with the Orange owning a 21-13 edge over the Hurricanes. Despite 25 points from senior J.J. Starling, the Hurricanes took last year's meeting, 91-84, at the Watsco Center in Miami.

Syracuse Tickets
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tyler Betsey

Donnie Freeman

Nate Kingz

William Kyle III

J.J. Starling

Syracuse University Athletics