Riding some momentum from recent wins, Oregon and Syracuse will converge in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Sunday for a neutral-court nonconference matchup.
The Ducks (7-2) enter on a three-game winning streak. They slipped past Michigan in overtime on Dec. 2 and then routed UTEP on Dec. 9 before defeating California Baptist 76-55 on Tuesday. Kario Oquendo supplied 20 points off the bench in that contest, while Jackson Shelstad had 17 points and eight assists.
Oregon shot well from the field (51.9 percent), the 3-point line (9 of 18) and the free-throw line (13 of 15), which helped take the pain away from the team that had nearly as many turnovers (14) as assists (16).
“Little concerned about 14 turnovers there. Just some really bad ones that we’ve got to get straightened out,” Ducks coach Dana Altman said. “But a lot of positives.”
The Orange (7-3) disposed of rival Georgetown 80-68 in their most recent contest on Dec. 9, earning their fourth win in the last five games. Judah Mintz scored 25 points, JJ Starling had 21 and Quadir Copeland added 14 points.
The performance by Starling was particularly noteworthy, as the Notre Dame transfer had made only 3 of 24 3-pointers this season prior to draining all three of his attempts from beyond the arc against the Hoyas.
“He was big. Especially when Judah went out, he made some big shots,” coach Adrian Autry said. “He stepped up big for us, he controlled the game. He had a moment where he took over the game. And that’s what you envision when you’ve got two high-level guards. And today, they played that way.”
Mintz and Starling will look to mimic those performances against a Ducks team that has yielded just 52 points per game over its last two outings. In their previous three games, Oregon had allowed an average of 90 points per contest.
The teams have met just once before — a 2018 matchup in which Oregon’s Bol Bol scored 26 points to fuel an 80-65 win at Madison Square Garden.
–Field Level Media