A season ago, St. Bonaventure (4-8) came to the Carrier Dome and upset Syracuse (8-4) in overtime. But this isn’t the same Bonnies, and they enter on a three-game losing streak before Saturday’s game in the Dome. SU comes off a bounceback win over Arkansas State after two-straight losses before that.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen after Saturday’s 2 p.m. tip-off.

Billy Heyen (10-2)
Night and day
Syracuse 77, St. Bonaventure 61

Syracuse’s loss to St. Bonaventure a year ago was legitimate, but the Bonnies are a vastly different team this year. They lost their two senior guards to graduation, and instead rely heavily on some freshmen to make plays that they aren’t quite ready to make consistently. The Orange shouldn’t have any trouble in going into ACC play with two-straight wins. The biggest key for SU, beyond just a win, will be continuing to “scratch the surface,” as Jim Boeheim said, on the offense it’ll need to be successful in conference play.

Charlie DiSturco (9-3)
What’s a Bonnie?
Syracuse 68, St. Bonaventure 55

This is Syracuse’s last nonconference game, and one that’s a must win. With Frank Howard nearing 100 percent and the Orange trying to reconfigure its offense, Saturday is a perfect opportunity to gain some momentum entering ACC play. The Bonnies enter this matchup off a loss to Northeastern, a team SU beat by 23. The Orange should have no problem walking away with its second straight win.

Matthew Gutierrez (8-4)
Bonnie & Clyde
Syracuse 70, St. Bonaventure 62

All of this time off provides Syracuse a buffer. A buffer before the rigors of conference play, time to rest and reload and practices to maybe develop some scoring tactics. Senior point guard Frank Howard could use the days to continue to progress and get back to his former self. The Orange will win its final game of 2018 and get another week off before conference play starts Jan. 5 in South Bend, Indiana.

Published on December 28, 2018 at 10:44 am