Oakland @ Syracuse preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 20, 2017 ) Oakland 50, Syracuse 74

Syracuse usually pads its win total during non-conference play, but that plan has gone awry in 2019-20. The Orange have lost four of their last five and hopes to stop the bleeding Tuesday when it hosts Oakland.

Elijah Hughes scored a career-high 33 points in a road victory over Georgia Tech earlier this month, helping Syracuse snap a three-game skid, but the team could not ride the momentum into last weekend's date at Georgetown. The Orange's former Big East rival handed Syracuse an 89-79 defeat despite 21 points from Hughes and 25 from Buddy Boeheim. Boeheim, whose dad, Jim, has been on the Syracuse sideline for the last four decades, has totaled 51 points on 13 3-pointers over the last two games. Oakland already has faced Maryland and Michigan State and lost those two games by a combined 55 points.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT OAKLAND (5-6): The Grizzlies' best player is Xavier Hill-Mais, who leads the team in scoring (15.4) and rebounding (7.8), chips in 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals and shoots 52.3 percent from the field. He had one of his worst games of the season against Michigan State the last time out, shooting 5-of-20 for 10 points in a 72-49 defeat. Daniel Oladapo chips in 11 points per game and 6.7 rebounds - second on the squad in both categories - while Blake Lampman (6.4 points, 38.8 percent from 3-point range) is the team's best threat from beyond the arc.

ABOUT SYRACUSE (5-5): The Orange starters scored 77 of the team's 79 points against Georgetown with four players accounting for 77 of those points. Hughes notched 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists and is the team leader in scoring (19.7) and assists (4.5) while placing third in rebounds (4.9). He shoots 42.7 percent from 3-point range and Boeheim is at 39.1 percent, plus both are good foul shooters, as is freshman Joe Girard III (25-of-26).

TIP-INS

1. Since scoring 13 points against Penn State, freshman F Quincy Guerrier has totaled four points on 2-of-10 shooting in the last three games.

2. Every Syracuse game has been decided by at least 10 points.

3. Oakland averages only 12 assists - outside the top 300 nationally - and only Kevin Kangu (4.1) dishes out more than two assists per game.

PREDICTION: Syracuse 69, Oakland 64