Opponent preview: Everything to know about Cornell, SU’s final nonconference opponent

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Syracuse extended its winning streak to four with a 15-point victory against Monmouth Monday night. The Hawks entered the game 1-9, but played competitively with SU, even leading several minutes into the second half. The Orange, though, were able to win comfortably behind strong performances from Judah Mintz and Joe Girard III. After starting the season 3-4, the Orange have recovered to a 7-4 record and are projected to win their next four games.

Up first is upstate neighbor Cornell, which sits at 7-2 after losing by two at Miami on Wednesday night. The Big Red’s only other loss was in their season opener at Boston College. Despite being an annual opponent on Syracuse’s schedule, Cornell hasn’t beaten the Orange since December 1968.

Here’s everything to know about Cornell before Saturday’s afternoon matchup:

All-time series

Syracuse leads, 95-31.

Last time they played

Cornell and SU were scheduled to meet Dec. 21 last year, but the game was delayed eight days due to COVID-19 cases. Syracuse led by just five at halftime, but pulled out a 12-point win over the Big Red behind 22 points from Buddy Boeheim and 21 from Cole Swider. Cornell got within four in the second half, but an 11-0 SU run midway through the second half helped it pull away.

Cornell jacked up 46 3s, making 15 of them, and shot only 35.4% from the field. Syracuse, by contrast, went 6-of-20 from beyond the arc. Junior Keller Boothby led the 3-point charge, making 6-of-11 from downtown to finish with a team-high 20 points. Guy Ragland Jr. also came off the bench to hit four 3s, totaling 16 points.

Jimmy Boeheim, fresh off a four-year career at Cornell, recorded 16 points and seven rebounds against his former team. Jesse Edwards added 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has an 82% chance of winning, with a projected score of 80-70.

The Big Red report

Cornell has three players averaging double-digit points, but none over 14 points. Senior guard Greg Dolan leads the team with 13.9 per game and registered a season-high 19 against Miami. He also leads the Big Red in 3-point attempts for players who have taken at least two, shooting 58.8% (13-of-20) from beyond the arc this season, a mark that’s good for fifth-best in the country, per KenPom.

Chris Manon, though, is often Cornell’s go-to scoring option, with a 29.5% percentage of possessions used rating, which is 62nd-highest nationally. Manon averages just over 10 points per game and his steal percentage is the sixth-highest in the country.

The Big Red, overall, are a deep team, with nine players recording double-digit minutes per game and none more than 29. Forward Sean Hansen, at 6-foot-9, is the team’s leading rebounder at 5.4 per game, but hasn’t grabbed more than seven in a game this season.

How Syracuse beats Cornell

Cornell could prove to be a tricky opponent for Syracuse. The Big Red are an efficient shooting team and play fast — in fact, the fifth-fastest rate of any team in the country. This makes it key that the Orange set up their zone quickly after missed shots. Cornell is an okay 3-point shooting team and a bad defensive rebounding team. This should give Edwards and others plenty of chances for offensive rebounds and putbacks.

But the easiest way for SU to win this game is by doing what it’s been doing over the past two weeks. That means letting Mintz continue to improve, getting the ball to Girard and letting Edwards dominate inside. With a little additional production from Benny Williams, Justin Taylor and Maliq Brown, the Orange should be able to control the glass and get enough good looks to keep Cornell at bay.

Stat to know: 14.7

At 14.7 seconds, Cornell has the fifth-quickest possession length in the country, per KenPom. The Big Red likes to play fast and get up plenty of 3s. Over 38% of their points come on 3-pointers, the 27th-highest nationally and they’re the third-best team when it comes to 2-point percentage. Manon and the rest of the team are able to rack up steals, allowing Cornell to rank No. 10 in steal percentage. SU likely won’t want to play in a track meet with the Big Red, which means taking time on offense and forcing Cornell to pass it around the arc on the other end.

Player to watch: Greg Dolan, guard, No. 4

Syracuse was one of only two teams to hold Dolan scoreless last season, the guard finishing 0-for-2 from the field but still dishing out five assists. So far this year, Dolan has been one of the nation’s best shooters, ranking 21st in effective field goal percentage. His points per game have jumped from 6.2 last year to 14 this season. If there’s any player the Orange need to stop from getting out from outside, Dolan is the player.