Beat writers predict comfortable win over New Hampshire in season opener

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Syracuse comfortably defeated Daemen and The College of Saint Rose in exhibition matchups to get players some real-game action and test out Adrian Autry’s tactical changes. But the practice runs are over with the Orange hosting New Hampshire in the JMA Wireless Dome to start the regular season. It’s one of three consecutive home games for SU before it travels to Honolulu, HI, for the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.

Similarly, New Hampshire begins its season with a new head coach. Nathan Davis, who previously helmed Bucknell, took charge of the Wildcats in April. UNH has lingered around .500 in recent years, looking to upset the Orange, who have their first new head coach in 47 seasons.

Here’s what our beat writers believe will happen in Syracuse’s season opener:

Cole Bambini (0-0)
One-sided battle
Syracuse 84, New Hampshire 67

Syracuse should start the Autry era on a strong note. New Hampshire has hovered around .500 in recent seasons, and the Orange likely will handle the Wildcats with ease. The scoreline, however, shouldn’t be taken as a reflection of this year’s SU team.

Just like the Orange, the Wildcats have some growing pains with a new coach. And their first test is against a Power Five team. Last year, UNH had one of the worst offenses in college basketball, ranking 319th in adjusted offensive efficiency compared to Syracuse’s ranking of 81.

Offensively, Judah Mintz, J.J. Starling and Naheem McLeod can easily handle the Wildcats. It’ll be a chance for Autry to debut his fast-paced offense and work out some adjustments before the competition gets harder in a few weeks. This won’t be a perfect game from start-to-finish but it will be an opportunity for Syracuse to experiment some lineup combinations without the threat of defeat.

Henry O’Brien (0-0)
Some concerns
Syracuse 79, New Hampshire 68

With the football season spiraling out of control, Syracuse fans can take solace in the fact that its men’s basketball team will breeze to a season-opening win over New Hampshire. This game will not give an answer of how good or bad this team will be, but I imagine fans will need the sports equivalent to comfort food.

Mintz and Starling will impress like they did in the Orange’s exhibition win over Saint Rose. The rest of the starting lineup, including McLeod and Chris Bell, will have at least 10 points like they did against the Golden Knights. The offense will look impressive, but we’ll really have to wait and see until it faces top teams in Hawaii or even Colgate.

The defense will actually be intriguing to see, though. It’s the first regular season game where we get to see man-to-man defense. SU’s 3-point defense improved in the team’s second exhibition, with Autry saying the players were better at getting back on transition. If the Wildcats, who were a below-average scoring offense last season, start to go on a hot streak, then there should be some concerns.

Tyler Schiff (0-0)
Put on a show
Syracuse 78, New Hampshire 65

Syracuse will have no trouble jumping out to 1-0. Mintz and Starling will have their way in transition, whether it be scoring or dishing, while 7-foot-4 McLeod should have no trouble dealing with New Hampshire’s undersized posts on either end of the floor.

Defensively, UNH’s Clarence Daniels seems the only threat to SU’s newly implemented man-to-man set. The 2022-23 America East All-Conference First Team honoree averaged 15.7 points last season and should prove challenging for Bell and Justin Taylor to contain. If Syracuse can find an early and effective answer for Daniels, New Hampshire’s hopes of escaping the JMA Wireless Dome with a win will start to wither.

Offensively, expect a plethora of bench minutes from energy players like Quadir Copeland, Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Maliq Brown — provided Autry isn’t limiting Brown due to injury precautions. Bell and Taylor are also likely to be the beneficiaries of many uncontested outside jumpers off of feeds from Mintz and Starling.

This is a fun game for the Orange and a golden opportunity to kick off the Autry era in style.