Niagara @ Syracuse preview

Syracuse hopes to end the nonconference portion of its schedule on a high note Saturday when it hosts Niagara. The Orange are seeking their third straight win, while the Purple Eagles are hoping to avoid a fourth straight defeat.

The Orange have not played since last Saturday, when they edged North Florida 82-70 behind five double-digit scorers, including Eljiah Hughes' 18 points. Hughes is the team's leading scorer at 19.8 points and has made 41 3-pointers, tied with Buddy Boeheim (15.2 points) for the team lead. Joseph Girardi III chips in 11.4 points for Syracuse and has scored in double figures in four straight games for the first time in his career. Niagara is led by coach Greg Paulus, a former quarterback for Syracuse, and trails the all-time series with Syracuse 53-28.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ACC Network-Plus

ABOUT NIAGARA (2-8): The Purple Eagles allowed a season-high 92 points their last time out in a 20-point loss at Buffalo. They allowed the Bulls to shoot better than 58 percent from the field and a sizzling 16-of-31 from 3-point range, plus they were outrebounded 42-23 in the ugly defeat. James Towns led Niagara with 19 points off the bench and leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line.

ABOUT SYRACUSE (7-5): Freshman forward Quincy Guerrier contributed 10 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes against North Florida, earning the praise of veteran forward Marek Dolezaj. "Finally," said Dolezaj, who had 17 points and a career-high eight assists against the Ospreys. "When I saw him the first time over the summer, I thought he'd be like this all the time. We need him like this. He just needs to play smart." Dolezaj has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in 10 of the 12 games and has multiple steals in three of his last four contests.

TIP-INS

1. Syracuse begins ACC play versus Notre Dame next Saturday.

2. The top three scorers for Niagara all shoot at least 84 percent from the foul line and, as a team, the Purple Eagles shoot 77.9 percent from the foul line, ranking in the top 25 nationally.

3. In his last four games, Boeheim has made 20 3-pointers.

PREDICTION: Syracuse 82, Niagara 70