Syracuse (6-1) tips off against Connecticut (6-2) on Tuesday at 9 p.m. in Madison Square Garden. The Orange is coming off its first loss of the season, 76-60, to Kansas in Miami, while the Huskies just escaped Monmouth, its second consecutive mid-major overtime win.

The Daily Orange spoke with the Hartford Courant’s Dom Amore, who has covered UConn since 2011.

The Daily Orange: In its last four games, UConn lost by 20 to Michigan State, 35 to Arkansas, and then barely escaped Columbia and Monmouth, both in overtime. What type of team should Syracuse fans expect to see in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night?

Dom Amore: Well, common sense suggests that if they had that much trouble beating mid-majors, it’s not surprising that they were beaten so badly by Arkansas and Michigan State. This is a UConn team that likes to play a small lineup, and it struggles to get big men involved. They are scrappy, and quick, and can be as tenacious as past UConn teams, but it would appear Syracuse will have a big size advantage Tuesday night.

The D.O.: What are the odds UConn’s hyped redshirt freshman Alterique Gilbert plays? If he does or doesn’t, what’s the impact on the Huskies?

D.A.: It does not appear Gilbert will play in this game. He may need a third surgery on his left shoulder, which would end his season, or he may try to rehab and play through the pain. Either way, there is nothing to indicate he is close to returning. His loss really hurts the Huskies. Gilbert had his best game against Oregon, which is UConn’s most impressive win. They were 4-0 and hanging in against Michigan State when he got hurt again, and they have not been the same since. Without him, they have three guards — Adams, Anderson and Vital — and they all played more than 40 minutes against Monmouth.

The D.O.: Other than Jalen Adams, which UConn player should Syracuse worry about the most? Either on offense or defense.

D.A.: Terry Larrier. UConn likes to play him at the four, and they try to get the ball into that position against the zone, the way they did with DeAndre Daniels and Daniel Hamilton in recent years. Larrier is a very good offensive player, and has been the leading rebounder the last two games. It seems he’d have to have a big game for UConn to have a chance.

The D.O.: Which team do you think wins and why?

D.A.: Syracuse has to be considered heavy favorites, because of their size and what we have seen so far this season. One imagines the loss last year will be on their minds, so there is no chance they’d take the game lightly. Their win over Maryland was very impressive, I thought.

The D.O.: What didn’t we ask that Syracuse fans should be thinking about for the game?

D.A.: Think you pretty much covered it. UConn is going through some hard times, between last year and this year, with injuries, losses, fans dissatisfied with the conference affiliation and falling attendance, a lot of criticism of Kevin Ollie’s NBA-oriented approach to offense. Games like this, and this one in particular, mean a lot to UConn as it fights to re-energize its fan base, keep its national relevance and prestige, and with few chances for big RPI wins in the American Conference, build a tournament resume.

Published on December 4, 2017 at 9:20 pm

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