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Syracuse ended its four-game nonconference gauntlet on a high note, securing an upset win over then-No. 13 Tennessee. Despite multiple missed opportunities at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, the Orange learned from their mistakes and bolstered their resume against the Volunteers.

With the Atlantic Coast Conference opener now on the horizon, SU has a chance to run the table in the remainder of its nonconference slate against Quad 3 and 4 opponents. Next up is Saint Joseph’s.

The two squads were originally set to meet in Las Vegas on Nov. 22 before the Hawks lost their head coach, Billy Lange, to the New York Knicks just weeks before the season. Saint Joseph’s didn’t travel to Sin City and the game was rescheduled. Under former Penn head coach Steve Donahue, the Hawks are 6-3 and enter on a four-game winning streak.

Here’s everything to know about Saint Joseph’s (6-3, Atlantic 10) before its matchup with Syracuse (5-3, Atlantic Coast) Thursday:

All time series

Syracuse trails 4-3.

Last time they played

SU’s last matchup with the Hawks came nearly four years before anyone currently on The Daily Orange men’s basketball beat was alive. The Orange downed Saint Joseph’s 82-60 on Dec. 4, 1999, in the Carrier Classic Championship game.

Syracuse had four scorers in double digits as Ryan Blackwell’s 16 points and 10 rebounds led the way. Damone Brown notched 15 and nine boards while current SU assistant coach Allen Griffin scored two points in four minutes. The victory over the Hawks was the sixth of a 19-game winning streak to begin the 1999-2000 season. The Orange bowed out to Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen.

KenPom Odds

Syracuse has a 90% chance of winning, with a projected score of 79-65.

The Hawks report

In their first year under Donahue, the Hawks have shown a mixed bag of results. Saint Joseph’s took care of business against inter-city opponents like Drexel and Temple, but fell to Virginia Tech by 35 points and UNLV by 14.

The Hawks are far removed from the glory days under Phil Martelli, where they appeared in the NCAA Tournament seven of 24 years. Lange struggled to pick up the pieces in his first seasons in charge, but reached 20 wins in each of his last two years before departing for the NBA. Saint Joseph’s fell two games short of an A-10 championship last season with a plethora of talent, including Xzayvier Brown, Erik Reynolds II and Rasheer Fleming.

Brown transferred to Oklahoma while Reynolds II and Fleming both went to the professional level, leaving holes to fill in its scoring. The Hawks added Deuce Jones II from La Salle, who leads the way with 15.6 points per game. The rest of Saint Joseph’s scoring stems from returning players stepping into larger roles.

Jaiden Glover-Toscano and Derek Simpson average double-digit points per game, while the Hawks often sport a combination of Dasear Hawkins and 6-foot-10 senior Justice Ajogbor down low.

Saint Joseph’s, opposite of Syracuse, ranks as one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country with an 81% clip. The Hawks struggle with nearly everything else offensively, tallying a 47.3% effective field goal mark for the 279th-best tally in the country. On defense, they’ve allowed 75.6 points per game, ranking 239th in the country.

How Syracuse beats Saint Joseph’s

Syracuse proved it can compete with any team in the country. Now, it’s just a matter of consistently finding that version of itself. With Donnie Freeman still out, the Orange win this game easily if they protect the basketball and shoot more efficiently.

SU point guard Naithan George averaged 4.25 turnovers per game across its four-game ranked opponent stretch. The Hawks aren’t strong at forcing turnovers, ranking 267 in the country, per KenPom. Additionally, Syracuse converted only 28-of-108 3-point attempts. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to make some more from deep.

Stat to know: 26.2%

By no means is Syracuse a strong 3-point shooting team thus far, knocking down from deep range at only a 29% clip. Somehow, the Hawks are worse. They’ve tallied a 28.3% mark from 3, ranked 322 in the country of 365 teams, per KenPom.

Saint Joseph’s produced its worst day from deep on Nov. 30 versus Princeton. The Hawks made just 4-of-23 attempts from 3 (16%) yet still won by two. Only Glover-Toscano and Jones II have hit double-digit 3-pointers this season. Be advised, if you happen to be a rim in the JMA Wireless Dome between the hours of 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Thursday, you might feel some damage.

Player to watch: Deuce Jones II, guard, No. 2

After starring as a freshman at cross-city foe La Salle last year, Jones II took his talents to Saint Joseph’s for his sophomore campaign. Thus far, he’s averaging a team-high 15.6 points per game with 3.1 assists. Jones II won A-10 Rookie of the Year last season with the Explorers and scored his career-high 27 points against the Hawks in the regular-season finale.

A Trenton, New Jersey, native, Jones II was the No. 7 player in the state behind stars like Dylan Harper and Tahaad Pettiford. He recently hit a buzzer-beater to push Saint Joseph’s past Temple in the Big 5 Classic, securing third place. Jones II lacks on the defensive side of the floor, tallying a -0.21 DBPR, per EvanMiya CBB Analytics. The Orange will still need to shut him down offensively to win.

Published on December 10, 2025 at 9:34 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky