After downing Connecticut on Tuesday night, Syracuse (7-1) returns home to the Carrier Dome to host Colgate (3-5). The Raiders are coming off a two-point loss at Marist on Wednesday night and opened their season at Connecticut and lost, 70-58. The Orange beat the Huskies, 72-63, Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Syracuse’s only loss thus far came against No. 2 Kansas last Saturday.

On Saturday at 2 p.m., the Orange and Raiders tip off for the 170th time. Here’s what you need to know about Colgate.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 124-45

Last time they played: On opening night last season, Syracuse beat the Raiders, 83-55. Tyler Roberson scored 18 points, Andrew White 17 and Frank Howard 11. Tyus Battle scored six points and Paschal Chukwu added four in the blowout win in front of 23,844 at the Carrier Dome.

The Colgate report: The Raiders rank outside the top 100 in every major statistical category save for 3-point field goals per game and 3-point percentage. Colgate hits 11.3 3s per game, good for 10th in the country. The Raiders have connected on 39.6 percent of their attempts from deep, putting them at 49th in the country.

Head coach Matt Langel is in his seventh season in Hamilton. He welcomed back six players who made at least 14 starts a season ago, including sophomore forward Will Rayman and senior guard Sean O’Brien. Rayman, O’Brien and Jordan Swopshire are the team’s three returning double-digit scorers.

Colgate finished 10-22 last season, but has four players averaging double-digit points this season.

Rayman (16.6 points per game), Jordan Burns (13.5), Swopshire 12.8 and O’Brien (10.5) are the leading scorers. Rayman has connected on 59.1 percent of his 3s and averages a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game.

How Syracuse beats Colgate: Beating Colgate for the 52nd consecutive time should not be a challenge for Syracuse, which has more talent and a significant size advantage. The Orange could prove vulnerable to weaker opponents if a team like Colgate can hit about 50 percent of its 3s, the shot on which much of its offense depends. But that would be difficult to maintain over an entire game on the road, and Syracuse is a deeper team.

Stat to know: 51

The Orange has not lost to Colgate since Feb. 24, 1962 and has won 51 consecutive contests the Raiders. That’s the longest active winning streak in a Division I series. The Orange and Raiders have played each other 169 times since the 1901-02 season.

Kenpom odds: Kenpom.com gives Syracuse an 88 percent chance to beat Colgate

Player to watch: Will Rayman, forward, No. 10

The 6-foot-8 sophomore was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year last season, scoring a team-best 14.6 points per game, which ranked ninth-best in the conference. He had 23 double-digit scoring games over 32 games and 26 starts a year ago. This season, he leads Colgate in scoring, starting with a 19-point outing against UConn in the season opener. He can stretch the floor with length and an ability to knock down 3s, as he hit 65 three-pointers last year, a freshman single-season program record.

Published on December 7, 2017 at 8:20 pm

Contact Matthew: [email protected] | @MatthewGut21