The Syracuse Orange (19-11 overall, 9-8 ACC) head to Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles (17-12, 7-10) in the last regular season game of the season for the Orange. This is yet another must-win game for the Orange, as they look to put the clamp down on a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Who’s Hot- Tyler Roberson
The junior has responded well to the public criticism by his coach. Roberson played 34 minutes against North Carolina—his most since he played 38 against Boston College on 2/14—and added 9 points and 11 rebounds, including a few of his signature ones on the offensive end. The Orange is already a team lacking depth, and they will need all hands on deck, especially Roberson, if they want to be dancing in a week or two.
“You know I thought he was good,” SU coach Jim Boeheim said. “This is a perfect game for him. They don’t block out so he can go and get some rebounds. And he did that tonight, he was active, and I thought he played well.”
Who’s Not- Trevor Cooney
Since Cooney shot 50% against Wake Forest on 1/16, the senior has only shot over 40% twice in the 11 games that have followed. In addition to his poor FG%, Cooney has not shot well from deep recently; in his last three games, he has shot 1-7, 0-6 and 2-7 from three-point range. The Orange needs to shoot threes well in order to win, and they will need Cooney to find his shot fast.
Can the Orange handle the pressure?
There is no other way to put it; if the Orange does not win this game, and barring a deep run in the ACC tournament, they will be watching to NCAA tournament from the couch for a second straight year. It will be interesting to see how the Orange handles the pressure of a real, unadulterated must-win game.
Key Matchup- FSU’s Defense vs. Syracuse’s Offense
When these two teams first met in February, the Orange shot an incendiary 62% from the field in an 85-72 win at the Carrier Dome. It is highly unlikely that the Orange shoot 62% from the field, 47.1% from three and 71.4% from the free-throw line again, especially considering the recent funk the Orange finds itself in from downtown—The Orange hasn’t shot above 40% from downtown since the Boston College game (coincidentally, the Orange are 1-3 in the four games since). The Seminoles aren’t a great defensive team, but if they can limit the good looks they were giving up last time they met, this game will be much closer than the first one.