Beat writers split on Syracuse’s chances against No. 15 Iowa State
Syracuse will face No. 15 Iowa State in its third and final Players Era Festival game after losses to No. 3 Houston and Kansas. Courtesy of Joseph Alleyne
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LAS VEGAS — Somehow, Syracuse will face No. 15 Iowa State in its third and final Players Era Festival game. The Orange enter the matchup with losses against No. 3 Houston and Kansas, while the Cyclones have wins over No. 14 St. John’s and Creighton.
SU looked like it could be headed toward a Thursday consolation game, but a non-mapped-out tournament bracket resulted in it playing Wednesday’s first game against Iowa State. Donnie Freeman, Syracuse’s leading scorer, will miss his third straight game.
Like the Orange, the Cyclones could also be without their leading scorer, as point guard Tamin Lipsey (18.4 points per game) didn’t play Tuesday after suffering a lower-body injury on Monday. Iowa State enters Wednesday ranked No. 6 by KenPom, while EvanMiya rates it No. 8.
In a third straight gauntlet for SU (4-2, Atlantic Coast), here’s how our beat writers think it’ll fare against the Cyclones (6-0, Big 12):
Aiden Stepansky (5-1)
Tough draw
Syracuse 67, Iowa State 72
As you’ll see multiple times throughout this predictions article, it’s apparent to The Daily Orange beat writers that the Players Era Festival organizers have no clue what they’re doing. How a team with two losses this week matches up with a squad with two wins is beyond me. But hey, everyone gets their money right…
Anyway, Syracuse drew an extremely tough opponent in facing Iowa State. The Cyclones took down two Big East foes and an 18-point win over Creighton nearly pushed them into the tournament’s championship game. The Orange don’t deserve this matchup, but they got it. And as a result, they’ll drop their third and final game in Vegas.
Tuesday versus Kansas, SU proved for the first time this week it needed Freeman. Syracuse’s offense was stagnant at times, and its inability to make shots consistently is becoming a clear trend. The Orange impressively turned the ball over only twice, but Iowa State’s defense is one of the best in the country at forcing turnovers.
Syracuse should stick around if its shot-making ability shows any reminiscence of improvement, but the Cyclones are just too good right now.
Cooper Andrews (5-1)
Justice for Maui
Syracuse 64, Iowa State 76
I’m just going to say it: the Players Era Festival stinks. Sure, I’m super grateful to be here. But instead of spending Thanksgiving week with my family, I, along with many other players, coaches, fans and media members, have been subjected to some of the strangest impromptu scheduling and format changes I have ever seen.
All I have to say is, justice for Maui. The Maui Invitational used to be the mecca of Feast Week. Now, it’s an afterthought. The new goal is to play in Las Vegas’ Players Era — where nothing makes sense.
Take Syracuse for example. It went 0-2 in pool play. So, of course, it gets to play No. 15 Iowa State in the consolation round even though the Cyclones finished 2-0 in pool play, including a massive Quad 1 win over Rick Pitino’s No. 14 St. John’s. What is the point of playing those earlier games if SU is going to play a team way above its league in a consolation game?
That brings me to my real point: the Orange won’t win this game. They looked dejected at times late in Tuesday’s loss to Kansas, and I think that nasty feeling of defeat, paired with an extremely quick turnaround to a Wednesday morning tipoff, will prove costly for Syracuse’s chances at a win. Adrian Autry will move to 2-19 in Quad 1 games with a loss to Iowa State. And SU will set its sights on hosting No. 17 Tennessee on Dec. 2 to earn that elusive tournament-boosting win.
Justin Girshon (5-1)
What is happening?
Syracuse 70, Iowa State 67
I truthfully have no clue what is going on here in Sin City. At first, I thought Syracuse was locked in a Wednesday matchup because the original email we received said only the bottom two teams on each side of the tournament’s bracket would play on Thursday.
At some point between when that email was sent and now, that changed to the bottom four overall seeds (and UNLV as the “home” team, so long as it wasn’t one of the top four seeds). And then at some point between then and now — because under those circumstances, SU would’ve needed Oregon to beat San Diego State (our fellow scribe Nicholas Alumkal’s Ducks lost by 17) to avoid a Thursday game — that changed again to the point where SU is now facing the Cyclones on … Wednesday!
None of this really makes sense, and I think it’s the kind of storm that can actually change Syracuse’s luck in Quad 1 games. Iowa State probably thought it would be in a championship game rather than playing a winless team, and I can see it coming out unmotivated and flat.
A win here would really go a long way for Autry and his squad, and I see them coming out with vengeance to pull out a tight one. It won’t be pretty. It won’t be easy. But the Orange will be victorious.
