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In a season-opener unlike any other, Syracuse will host Bryant in the Carrier Dome on Friday following the program’s nearly two-week pause. 

While the Orange’s program was on pause, Bryant’s originally scheduled season-opener on Wednesday was canceled when an official tested positive for COVID-19. 

Former Liverpool High School standout Charles Pride averaged 8.2 points per game for the Bulldogs as a freshman last year. Luke Sutherland (West Genesee) also returns to central New York, though there won’t be any fans in attendance at the Carrier Dome. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Bryant:

All-time series: First meeting for the two teams

Last time they played: N/A

Betting odds: N/A 

The Bryant report: 

On paper, Bryant will be a severely overmatched team in the Carrier Dome. Starting forward Juan Cardenas and shooting guard Adam Grant, who was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer in 2019-20, graduated in the spring. Grant finished his Bryant career second on the program’s all-time scoring list. 

The Bulldogs don’t have much size, with no one over 6-foot-9 playing quality minutes last year. They also struggled from the 3-point line in 2019-20, shooting 32.1% from behind the arc. 

How Syracuse beats Bryant: 

Despite the winding road COVID-19 forced SU to take, Syracuse should have no problem with Bryant. The Bulldogs finished in the bottom half of the Northeast Conference last season and enter 2020-21 as the 312th-ranked team in the nation, per KenPom. 

With the Orange coming off an almost two-week hiatus, Syracuse could get itself into a bit of trouble if it’s rusty in the beginning. SU only turned the ball over at a 16.5% rate last year — 40th best in the nation — and returns guards Joseph Girard III and Buddy Boeheim. As long as it takes care of the ball like it should, SU should coast. 

Stat to know:  20.5% 

Bryant had the highest turnover rate in its conference last season at 20.5%. Turning the ball over on more than a fifth of its possessions is not a winning formula for beating the Syracuse zone. Point guard Michael Green III is more experienced after his freshman year, but his ability to steady the Bulldogs offense is unclear. 

Player to watch: Michael Green III, PG, No. 3

Green was the NEC Rookie of the Year in 2019-20, averaging 9.3 points and 3.1 assists per game. In Bryant’s one game against a ranked team last year, Green recorded six points and two assists but turned the ball over three times in 21 minutes. Though he’s undersized at 5-foot-11, Green has a nice crossover, and he used off-ball screens to get downhill last year. He also can create for himself with step-backs and nifty moves in the lane.

Published on November 26, 2020 at 7:14 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman