SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse basketball (7-3) seeks a much-needed, bounce-back victory when the Orange host the No. 14 Buffalo Bulls (10-0) on Tuesday night.
The game tips off just after 8 p.m. at the Carrier Dome and will be televised nationally on ESPN2. You can also stream it on the Watch ESPN app. Rich Hollenberg and LaPhonso Ellis will be the announcers.
Syracuse enters the Buffalo game off a devastating 68-62 home loss to Old Dominion on Saturday afternoon, where the Orange squandered a double-digit lead in the second half. The loss ended a five-game Cuse winning streak and has already put the Orange in some peril of missing out on March Madness this season.
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Buffalo springs into the Dome with 10 straight wins to open this season, including victories over West Virginia and San Francisco. It’s been 54 years since the Bulls started a season this well. Buffalo’s latest victory came Saturday when it toppled Southern Illinois 73-65 at home in Amherst. It was the second time the Bulls beat the Salukis this season. Buffalo is led by CJ Massinburg (17.1 points, 7.1 rebounds a game) and Nick Perkins (13.8 points, 8.2 rebounds).
What’s at stake for Syracuse?
It may only be December but this is a huge game for Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament résumé. The Orange — which tumbled to No. 61 in the NET Rankings, the NCAA’s new tool for selecting and seeding tournament teams, from No. 29 after the Old Dominion loss — have put themselves back in bubble territory again with three non-conference defeats to unranked teams. The good news is a win over Buffalo would go a long way to alleviating that by giving Syracuse a second win over a ranked team (the Orange beat then-No. 16 Ohio State on Nov. 28).
A loss to Buffalo would leave the Orange reeling and in a precarious position heading toward ACC play, where Syracuse would have to pile up a lot of wins against difficult teams.
Tuesday’s game is the 34th all-time meeting between Syracuse and Buffalo, with the Orange holding a 28-5 lead in the series. The Cuse has won the last 18 meetings but it’s safe to say this is by far the best Bulls team Syracuse has faced in that stretch. Buffalo, which made last year’s NCAA Tournament and won a game there, tested the Orange in last season’s contest at the Dome (on Dec. 19), before falling 81-74.
Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com
