Miami @ Syracuse preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 17, 2018 ) Syracuse 62, Miami-Florida 55

Fresh off its upset victory over then-No. 2 Duke in overtime, Syracuse rolled past Pittsburgh on Saturday 74-63 to run its record to 10-3 at home and 4-1 in ACC play. The Orange now get set to host an undermanned Miami team on Thursday night, with the Hurricanes limping in following their fourth loss in the last five games after coming up short to North Carolina 85-76.

For Miami, the lack of depth reared its ugly head once again versus North Carolina as the Hurricanes trailed by just two with five minutes remaining but could only sustain their high level of play for so long with a rotation of just seven players. "Our guys played as well as we can but eventually it's a battle of attrition," Miami head coach Jim Larranaga told reporters. "We don't have enough size and girth and manpower to battle the teams in our league on a regular basis. Can we do it for periods of time? Yes. But it's hard over a long period of time." The Hurricanes are having a rough go through their ACC slate but the Orange have picked up their game of late with six wins in their last seven and they continue to frustrate opponents with their 2-3 defense, limiting five of those opponents to less than 65 points. "It's the best conference in the country, hands down," Syracuse forward Elijah Hughes said. "Every game is a dogfight no matter who it is. It doesn't matter what their record is. You just got to be ready to go every game."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Raycom

ABOUT MIAMI (9-8, 1-4 ACC): The Hurricanes can score from long distance, hitting 36.5 percent of their 3-pointers and 8.8 per game, with long-distance marksman DJ Vasiljevic nailing a team-high 48-of-109 (44.0 percent). Vasiljevic has hit at least one trey in 30 straight games and is one of five Hurricanes averaging in double figures, led by sophomore guard Chris Lykes (18.1 ppg), who ranks eighth in the ACC in scoring. With a short bench, the Hurricanes can't afford to get into foul trouble and they have responded by totaling just 14.7 fouls per game, seventh best in the nation.

ABOUT SYRACUSE (13-5, 4-1): The Orange have been inconsistent offensively, but the 95-91 overtime win over Duke proved they can put the ball in the hoop, with junior guard Tyus Battle (18.2 ppg) leading the way with 32 points against the Blue Devils and 22 against the Panthers to earn ACC Player of the Week honors for the third time this season. The Orange have increased their 3-point shooting in the last two games, only the third and fourth times this season that they nailed at least 11 from long distance. Center Paschal Chukwu has stepped it up inside with back-to-back games with double-digit rebounds (18 vs. Duke, 11 vs. Pitt) and three straight games with three blocks.

TIP-INS

1. The Orange own an 18-8 lead over the Hurricanes after defeating them 62-55 last season.

2. Miami has scored at least 73 points in all but two games.

3. Syracuse limited Duke and Pitt to a combined 25.6 percent shooting from long distance.

PREDICTION: Syracuse 77, Miami 73