Syracuse Basketball suffered its first loss of the young 2024-25 season Thursday night in New York City, but the Orange will play No. 2 Texas State on Friday night in the third-place game of the 2024 Legends Classic. Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
The ‘Cuse (3-1) fell behind Southeastern Conference member Texas early on Thursday, but the Longhorns eventually built a 16-point advantage shortly after the break.
However, for much of the second half, Syracuse basketball played much better on both ends of the court, especially on defense, something that has proven to be a struggle for the Orange throughout 2024-2025 to date.
The ‘Cuse briefly took the lead over Texas in the final 20 minutes, but poor free throw shooting meant Syracuse basketball was doomed to fall 70-66. There are no consolation prizes in sports per se, but the Orange’s struggles against quality programs were encouraging, especially after the ‘Cuse narrowly won their first three games against non-power conference opponents.
In the second half of Thursday’s game, St. Joseph’s defeated Texas Tech 78-77, handing the Red Raiders their first loss of the 2024-25 season. On Friday, Orange Tech and Texas Tech will face off at 7 p.m., televised by ESPNU.
When I wrote this article Friday morning, FanDuel had the ‘Cuse as a betting underdog at 11.5 points against the Red Raiders, with the over/under set at 154.5 points.
In the Big 12 Conference preseason poll, Texas Tech (4-1) was projected to finish seventh in the conference standings this season. In the latest major Top 25 poll, the Red Raiders were the first team to receive votes in the Associated Press poll and ranked 24th in the coaches’ poll.
In the history of this short series, the Orange and Texas Tech are tied at 1-1. The Red Raiders’ quartet has wins over Bethune-Cookman, Northwestern State, Wyoming and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Texas Tech, which fell behind St. Joseph’s University, only shot 20.0 percent from deep, but will be a dangerous shooting group in 2024-2025. The Red Raiders are hitting 54.7 percent from the field, 76.8 percent from the free throw line and 41.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Conversely, Syracuse Basketball is shooting 46.0 percent from the field, 61.1 percent from the charity stripe, and 25.0 percent from 3-point land. Given the Orange’s struggles from long range, it makes sense for the team to focus on scoring in the paint against Texas Tech.
Players like junior guard JJ Sterling and junior small forward Chris Bell need to be aggressive in driving to the rim, while graduate center Eddie Lumpkin Jr. and senior forward Jahre Davis , frontcourt players like power forward Donnie Freeman need to do their thing. In the interior and midrange.
The Red Raiders commit 12.2 turnovers per game, so expect the Orange defenders to get deflections and steals to easily score in transition. But players also need to be accurate with the ball, as Texas Tech averages an impressive 9.6 steals per game.
Syracuse basketball’s defense will also be tested in this non-conference meeting. Currently, the Orange is allowing almost 80 points per game, while the Red Raiders are scoring about 90 points per game.
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