Previewing Syracuse’s penultimate nonconference matchup vs. Northeastern
After avenging its upset loss to Hofstra with a win over Mercyhurst, Syracuse hosts 4-5 Northeastern in the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday. Christian Calabrese | Staff Photographer
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After avenging its upset loss to Hofstra with a 14-point win over Mercyhurst, Syracuse hosts Northeastern in the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. and will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
The Orange enter the matchup ranked No. 80 by KenPom, their lowest ranking of the season. Just a month ago, SU peaked at No. 48 after starting the year with wins over Binghamton, Delaware State and Drexel.
Since then, leading scorer Donnie Freeman has played in just one game. The sophomore forward participated in Syracuse’s shootaround Wednesday but missed his seventh straight game. Adrian Autry only went as far as to say Freeman has a lower-body injury. The head coach failed to give a timetable, saying, “We do expect him back fairly soon.”
With Freeman likely out against the Huskies, Syracuse will look to head into its final nonconference game against Stonehill on Monday with a two-game winning streak.
Here’s everything to know about Northeastern (4-5, 0-0 Coastal Athletic) before it faces SU (7-4, 0-0 ACC):
All-time series
Syracuse leads the series 9-0.
Last time they played
Jim Boeheim won his 1,000th official game when Syracuse and Northeastern last met on Nov. 19, 2022. Depending on who you ask, it could also be considered the Hall of Fame head coach’s 1,101st win, but the NCAA vacated 101 wins from Boeheim’s record on March 6, 2015.
Nonetheless, the Orange crushed the Huskies 76-48. Joe Girard III scored a game-high 21 points, while Jesse Edwards and Judah Mintz were right behind with 19 and 18 points, respectively.
KenPom odds
Syracuse has a 90% chance of winning, with a projected score of 79-64.
The Huskies report
Helmed by 20th-year head coach Bill Coen, Northeastern enters Saturday ranked as the No. 214 team in the nation by KenPom and No. 205 by EvanMiya. The Huskies have made two NCAA Tournament appearances under Coen (2015 and 2019) but have struggled in recent years.
Going 17-15 last season snapped Northeastern’s three-season streak of finishing below .500. The program has failed to win at least 20 games since the 2018-19 campaign, when it last made March Madness.
The Huskies have faced three teams ranked among KenPom’s top 200, accumulating a 1-2 record. They defeated Colgate 68-65 on the road but fell 85-74 at home to Vermont and 86-73 on the road versus Wake Forest.
Northeastern’s roster mostly consists of returners and freshmen, with three players — senior LA Pratt (17.0), senior Youri Fritz (12.9) and freshman Xavier Abreu (11.0) — scoring in double figures. Still, the Huskies’ offense has been mediocre, ranking No. 269 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency.
Like the Orange, Northeastern struggles to shoot from both 3-point range (31.0%) and the free-throw line (70.6%). Its defense fares better, placing 147th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. The Huskies’ 20.1% turnover forced percentage ranks 59th in the country, while their 11.0% steal percentage is 58th.
How Syracuse beats Northeastern
If the Orange actually show nothing is wrong with their offense, they should blow out the Huskies. Of course, Autry said “there’s nothing wrong” with SU’s offense after it beat Mercyhurst. Syracuse’s on-court play and metrics told a different story.
Heading into their matchup against the Lakers, the Orange ranked No. 107 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency. That figure has since dropped to No. 115.
Postgame, Tyler Betsey said he feels SU’s offense gets stagnant, while Kiyan Anthony explained if the Orange’s initial set gets blown up, they revert to ball screens or isolation plays. If Syracuse can play fast in transition and run a smooth operation in the half court, there should be no reason Northeastern hangs around.
Stat to know: .539
Since the Orange and Huskies last faced, there’s been a head coaching shakeup. After the 2022-23 campaign, Boeheim retired, handing the keys to Autry. As SU’s head coach, Autry has a 41-35 record across his 76 games, good for a 53.9% winning percentage.
Counting all of his wins — including the vacated ones — Boeheim’s was 71.7%. Not counting the 101 vacated victories, the Hall of Famer’s winning percentage was 69.7%.
Player to watch: LA Pratt, guard, No. 3
In Syracuse’s loss to Hofstra, senior guard Cruz Davis exploded for 22 points and nine assists. Like the Pride, the Huskies also have a dynamic senior guard in Pratt.
The 6-foot-5 guard spent two years at Elon before transferring to Northeastern before the 2024-25 season. His first year with the Huskies was a breakout year, where he averaged 11.2 points after previously being a reserve at Elon.
Pratt has elevated his scoring to 17.0 points per game this year while shooting 47.5% from the field. However, he struggles from beyond the arc, making just 27.4% of his triples. He also adds 3.3 assists per game.
