Syracuse looks to defeat Cornell for the 43rd straight time when the Central New York programs meet Tuesday night on the Orange’s home court.
The last time Syracuse (5-3) lost to Cornell was Dec. 4, 1968. The Orange lead the all-time series 96-31, but they’ll likely need to play better than they did in Saturday’s 84-62 loss to Virginia to improve that mark.
J.J. Starling (16 points) was the only Syracuse starter to score in double figures against Virginia, as Judah Mintz and Chris Bell — the team’s top two scorers on the season — were held to five points apiece.
“This game (Saturday) didn’t have anything to do with depth,” Starling said. “It just came down to one team hitting a lot of shots and another team not being able to really stop them.”
The Cavaliers shot 54.5 percent overall and 57.1 percent (12 of 21) from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Orange were just 5 of 20 from beyond the arc.
“We’ve just got to keep working and getting better,” Syracuse first-year coach Adrian Autry said.
Cornell (7-1) is off to a strong start this season, having only dropped a seven-point decision to George Mason on Nov. 15. The Big Red have won four games in a row since that defeat, including a 79-71 triumph at Lafayette their last time out.
Sean Hansen led the way with 19 points in that contest, while Isaiah Gray chipped in with 13 points. Hansen leads the team in scoring (12.4 points per game), although Cooper Noard (11.9) and Chris Manon (10.8) aren’t far behind.
Cornell is eager to face Syracuse as it prepares for Ivy League action.
“We’re tweaking everything just leading up to the slugfest of the Ivy League,” Big Red coach Brian Earl told syracuse.com. “A lot of what we’re going to try to change over the next couple weeks, we’ll see Yale and Princeton and how they’re playing and they’re all doing it for us.”
The Orange got past the Big Red 78-63 in last season’s matchup, as Cornell missed 21 of 22 shots at one point.
–Field Level Media