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Back home from a two-game road trip, Syracuse battled back and forth against SMU Thursday. But similarly to SU’s two previous games, the contest ended in a loss.

Nya Robertson hoisted a floater in the final seconds, handing the Orange their third straight loss. It was Syracuse’s second last-second loss this season after falling 73-70 to UAlbany on Nov. 20, 2024.

Now, SU, which is off to its worst start in conference play since 2005-06, welcomes Miami to the JMA Wireless Dome Sunday. Like the Orange, the Hurricanes are amid a three-game slide.

Here’s everything you need to know before Syracuse (6-9, 0-4 Atlantic Coast) faces Miami (11-4, 1-3 ACC):

All-time series

Miami leads 20-14.

Last time they played…

Though the Hurricanes lead the all-time series, the Orange have dominated in recent years, winning four of the last five matchups. Last season, then-No. 19 Syracuse beat Miami 71-60 on Feb 15, 2024, handing the Hurricanes their second home loss of the season.

SU held Miami to 13.3% shooting in the third quarter, propelling it to a 14-8 third-quarter advantage. Then late in the contest, Georgia Woolley, who finished with a game-high 24 points, hit a game-sealing 3-pointer. Every player who played for the Orange scored.

The Hurricanes report

Miami has jumped out to a hot start under first-year head coach Tricia Cullop. The 16-year Toledo coach guided the Hurricanes to a 8-0 start, capped by an 83-74 overtime win over Quinnipiac on Dec. 1, 2024. Three days after that victory, Miami took a hit with an 18-point loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Hurricanes got back to their winning ways with a four-game winning streak, but since ACC play resumed, Miami has fallen out of sorts.

One of the main reasons the Hurricanes haven’t been clicking is due to their poor 3-point shooting. In two or their last three losses, Miami has shot below 30% from deep, including shooting 23.53% from 3 against Louisville on Jan. 2. The Hurricanes have shot 29.5% on triples this season, ranking second-to-last in the ACC.

Miami is much more comfortable shooting inside, where it ranks 18th in Division I in 2-point field goal percentage, per HerHoopStats. Each of the Hurricanes’ top five scorers are shooting above 44% from the field, led by Cameron Williams’ 61.9% clip. On the defensive end, Miami has middling numbers, allowing 65.2 points per game, ranking 217 of 362 Division I teams, according to HerHoopStats.

How SU beats Miami

Syracuse is tasked with defending another of the ACC’s top scorers. Haley Cavinder averages 17.9 points per game, which is sixth in the conference. In SU’s last two games, it allowed ACC-leading scorer Ta’Niya Latson (first in ACC scoring) and Nya Robertson (third in ACC scoring) to be productive. The Orange can’t afford to allow 25 points to a single player again, so slowing Cavinder is essential.

After a lapse in rebounding against SMU in the second half, SU will need to regain its bearings. Miami struggles on the offensive glass and gives up the 76th most offensive boards in the nation. Meanwhile, offensive rebounding is where Syracuse thrives. If SU returns to its identity and crashes the boards, it’ll have a better chance at victory. Similar to Miami, Syracuse struggles shooting from 3. After shooting 3-of-16 against SMU, the Orange need to bounce back from deep to earn their first conference win.

Stat to know: 79.6%

The Hurricanes knock down free throws at the seventh-best rate in the country, per HerHoopStats. Miami’s success at the stripe has helped it take overcome opponents, who have combined to shoot free throws at a bottom-30 rate against them. All seven of Miami’s players who have attempted at least 15 free throws have converted at 74% or higher. In its closest win of the season, Miami shot 24-of-28 (85.7%) to down Jacksonville by three.

Player to watch: Natalija Marshall, forward, No. 21

In an area where Miami struggles — 3-point shooting — Marshall is the bright spot. Despite being listed as the tallest player on the Hurricanes at 6-foot-5, Marshall knocks down 3s at the best rate on the team. Her 43.2% shooting from beyond the arc has been a breakout performance this season. Marshall transferred to Miami after playing her first four years at Notre Dame. Though during her time with the Fighting Irish, she never made a 3, missing her only attempt.

Published on January 11, 2025 at 5:35 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32