After cruising past Colgate in the season opener on Friday, No. 18 Syracuse (1-0) faces Holy Cross (0-1) in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Crusaders, out of the Patriot League, already have one blowout loss to their name and bring an underwhelming roster into SU territory in game two for each team.

Here’s everything you need to know about Holy Cross.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 14-12

Last time they played: On Nov. 28, 2014, SU downed the Crusaders in the Carrier Dome, 72-48. The Orange rode a 25-point outburst from Rakeem Christmas, who shot 8-of-10 from the field and 9-of-10 from the foul line. Chris McCullough added a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Kaleb Joseph chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Orange missed each of its 14 3-point attempts, but Holy Cross only went 3-of-16 from behind the arc. SU rolled out the walk-ons in the 24-point win and still won going away despite only outscoring the Crusaders by two points in the second half.

The Holy Cross report: Holy Cross went 15-20 last season, including a 5-13 mark in the Patriot League. But despite earning the second-to-last seed in the conference, the Crusaders won the conference tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Holy Cross then won a play-in game against Southern, 59-55, before being blown out by top-seeded Oregon, 91-52, in the Round of 64.

The tallest player in Holy Cross’s starting lineup is 6-foot-7, and the Crusaders’ backcourt consists of two players under 6 feet tall. The Crusaders’ top three scorers from a season ago — Robert Champion, Malachi Alexander and Karl Charles — all return. The trio averaged a combined 34.4 points, 14.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists a season ago.

How Syracuse beats the Crusaders: Aside from when John Gillon is on the floor, Syracuse will likely be bigger than Holy Cross at every position at all times. Like against Colgate, the Orange used Tyler Roberson and a host of others to pound the inside at will, something Jim Boeheim will presumably be able to do at leisure Tuesday night. That’ll open up shots for the likes of Andrew White, Gillon, Frank Howard and Tyus Battle on the outside – where more mismatches play in favor of the home team.

Holy Cross shot under 33 percent from 3-point range as a team last season and with three of its four top 3-point shooters returning, that number shouldn’t waver too much. So as long as the Orange can secure its fair share of rebounds and not turn the ball over at an alarming rate, it should be able to coast again.

Stat to know:

19 – Only 19 opponents in Syracuse history have more wins against the Orange than Holy Cross.

Player to watch: Robert Champion, guard, No. 22

The 6-foot-6 senior led the Crusaders with 12 points per game last season and ranked second on the team with 4.8 rebounds. In a 32-point loss to South Carolina to start the season, Champion scored a team-high 18 points. He shot 44.3 percent from the field last year and 36 percent from 3-point range, and will likely be the visitors’ go-to man on Tuesday night.

Published on November 15, 2016 at 12:10 am

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