Syracuse lost its fourth-straight nonconference game, 89-79, to a Georgetown unit with nine scholarship-players three days ago. On Wednesday night, SU (5-5, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) will look to get back on track against Oakland (5-6) at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. The Grizzlies mark the start of a three-game stretch before the new decade rings in ACC play. 

Here’s what to know about Oakland before tipoff in the Carrier Dome. 

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 3-0

Last time they played: The Orange blew out the Grizzlies, 74-50, on Nov. 20, 2017, in the Dome. Tyus Battle led the charge with 25 points in 38 minutes, and Frank Howard added 18. Oakland trailed by 10 midway through the second half, then a 19-4 SU run capped the victory. Two other Syracuse players reached double-digits, with Paschal Chukwu and Oshae Brissett tallying 12 and 11 points, respectively. 

The Oakland report: Oakland has lost back-to-back games, recently falling to then-No. 16 Michigan State, 72-49 last Saturday. The Grizzlies have one another loss to a ranked-opponent, losing to then-No. 7 Maryland by 30 last month. Oakland has wins against Harford and Southern Illinois, with its most-recent coming against Western Michigan on Dec. 3. SU is Oakland’s third Power-Five matchup since November. The Grizzlies average 62.9 points per game and are led by Xavier Hill-Mais. The redshirt senior forward averages 15 points a game, leading the visitors. 

The Grizzlies are the 172nd ranked team on Kenpom.com, with multiple advanced stats ranking bottom-third in the country. They are 202nd in adjusted offensive efficiency and 292nd in effective field goal percentage (45%). During their last five games, head coach Greg Kampe has looked to a lineup of Kevin Kangu (4.3 assists per game), Blake Lampman (35.6% from 3), Tray Maddox Jr. (8.2 points), Daniel Oladapo (11.6 points) and Hill-Mais. 

How Syracuse beats Oakland: It’d be easy to say that Syracuse has more talent than Oakland and exhibiting that is the easiest path to a win. But look what happened at Georgetown. SU has to suffocate Oakland’s only true 3-point shooters — Maddox Jr. (29%) and Lampman – and make sure Hill-Mais doesn’t take over, like he has in most of the Grizzlies’ wins. 

Syracuse should have a significant size advantage over Oakland. The Grizzlies have only two players taller than 6-foot-10, and of those two, only center Brad Brechting (6-foot-11) is a regular contributor. The rest of their starting lineup has no player taller than 6-foot-7. SU should be able to drive and score inside against Oakland, then kick it out for 3s. The Grizzlies allow 30.9% of opponent 3s to fall. 

Stat to know: 36 — The number of years that Kampe has spent at the helm, third in the country behind Duke’s Mike Kryzewski (40 years) and SU’s Jim Boeheim (44 years).

KenPom odds: Syracuse has a 87% chance to win the game, with a projected final score of 70-58.

Player to watch: Xavier Hill-Mais, Forward No. 14

The forward from Greensboro, N.C., has led the Grizzlies for two-straight seasons. He paced Oakland with 18.3 points per game last year and is tallying 15 a contest in 2019-20. Hill-Mais also leads the team in rebounds (74) and steals (14). Operating primarily from the post, expect Hill-Mais to test the 2-3 zone. 

Published on December 17, 2019 at 12:23 pm

Contact Nick: [email protected] | @nick_a_alvarez