North Florida @ Syracuse preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 3, 2016 ) North Florida 71, Syracuse 77

Asked to carry the load for Syracuse this season, Elijah Hughes is making the most of his opportunity. The junior guard aims to lead the Orange to their third win in four games Saturday when North Florida pays a visit.

Hughes averaged 13.7 points last year in his first season after transferring to Syracuse, and this year his numbers are up to 20.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He has scored 25.7 points over the last three games and he has played 40 minutes in four of the last five contests. "We're headed in the right direction," Hughes said of the Orange, who lost three in a row prior to going 2-1 in their last three outings. "We had a lot of open looks today that we just kind of missed. We're getting better." North Florida has alternated wins and losses in seven straight games, most recently a 17-point loss at Florida State, but it could be eager to launch 3-pointers against Syracuse's 2-3 zone.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ACC Network

ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA (7-6): The Ospreys made 13 3-pointers against Florida State - four each by Ivan Gandia-Rosa, Garrett Sams and Ryan Burkhardt - and they feature an attack in which five of their top six scorers on the season are shooting at least 40 percent from 3-point range. "We're going to shoot 3s," coach Matthew Driscoll said after the Florida State game. "And I'm proud of that. We're going to try to lead the country every year in made 3s." On average, North Florida makes 12.5 3-pointers - nobody else in the country is higher than 11.3 - and their team 3-point percentage of 37.9 is quite strong for a squad attempting 33 3s per contest.

ABOUT SYRACUSE (6-5): While Hughes has come on strong this season, Buddy Boeheim is developing into the type of player that his father, coach Jim Boeheim, can be proud of. Buddy is averaging 15.1 points on 37.8 percent shooting from long range, and he has made at least three 3-pointers in six of his last eight outings. The Orange are coming off a 12-point win against Oakland, after which Jim Boeheim said: "Every game is a going to be a fight for us. There's not going to be anything easy. We're going to have games where we're not going to make shots that I think we can. But we made enough tonight."

TIP-INS

1. Syracuse freshman G Joe Girard III is 32-of-33 from the foul line.

2. Syracuse's top three scorers - Hughes, Boeheim and Girard - have combined for four offensive rebounds in 1,091 minutes.

3. Six of the top seven scorers for North Florida shoot at least 80 percent from the foul line.

PREDICTION: North Florida 81, Syracuse 72