SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse basketball (17-8, 8-4 ACC) looks to bounce back from a loss and notch a crucial win to boost its NCAA Tournament chances when the Orange host the No. 18 Louisville Cardinals (18-8, 9-4 ACC) on Wednesday night.
The game tips off just after 7 p.m. at the Carrier Dome and will be televised on ESPN. Mike Couzens and Jordan Cornette will be the announcers.
Syracuse looks to rebound from a 73-58 loss at NC State last Wednesday. The bright spots for the Orange were guard Frank Howard scoring a season-high 21 points and forward Marek Dolezaj matching his season-high in points with 10.
What’s at stake for Syracuse?
Syracuse is now in what’s considered the gauntlet of its schedule with three consecutive games against Top 20 opponents in a span of seven days. The Orange, who would be in the NCAA Tournament if the field were picked today, could really help themselves if they can manage to get at least one win from this trifecta of trouble. On paper, Louisville represents the best chance for an Orange victory.
Wednesday’s contest is the 28th all-time meeting between Syracuse and Louisville, with the Cardinals leading the series 18-9. The Orange, however, won last season’s matchup, 78-73, at Louisville, which was then coached by David Padgett. That broke a three-game Cards winning streak in the series under the previous head coach Rick Pitino. In all, Louisville won 12 of 17 games versus the Orange under Pitino from 2006-2017.
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Photos by Adam Rombel/BJNN