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Indiana vs Syracuse Picks and Odds (Nov. 30)

Jack Magruder

by Jack Magruder in College Basketball

Updated Nov 30, 2021 · 10:40 AM PST

Mike Woodson greets Trayce Jackson-Davis
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson greets Trayce Jackson-Davis (23) after Jackson-Davis was taken out of the game during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Northern Illinois, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
  • Indiana is an 1.5-point road favorite at Syracuse
  • The Hoosiers are 6-0 for the second time in three years
  • Read below for analysis and a betting prediction

Indiana (6-0) is a 1.5-point road favorite at Syracuse in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at the Carrier Dome at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN2. The Hoosiers, who have played all their games at home, are 6-0 for the second time in three seasons.

Syracuse (3-3) is off to its worst start since 1996-97, when it also split its first six games. That team finished 19-13, missed the NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round of the NIT.

Indiana vs Syracuse Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Indiana Hoosiers -134 -1.5 (-115) Over 144.5 (-112)
Syracuse Orange +112 +1.5 (-105) Under 144.5 (-108)

Odds from FanDuel on Nov. 29

Indiana won the first and most memorable meeting between the two when Keith Smart hit a contested jumper from the left baseline with four seconds remaining for a 74-73 victory in the 1987 NCAA championship game.

The Orange have won the five since, the most recent in a 69-52 victory at the Carrier Dome in the in 2013 Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Jackson-Davis on Fire

Indiana 6’9 sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis scored a career-high and Assembly Hall-record 43 points his last time out, a 90-79 victory over Marshall in the Hoosier Classic on Saturday. The Hoosiers overcame a one-point halftime deficit to pull away.

Jackson-Davis, the leading returning scorer in the Big Ten, physically dominated Marshall, scoring nine of his 18 field goals (on 24 attempts) on dunks. He added five rebounds, five blocked shots and four assists, becoming the first NCAA Division I player with a 40/5/5 since Central Michigan center Chris Kaman in 2003.

YouTube video

Jackson-Davis helped first-year coach Mike Woodson to a 6-0 record while joining Woodson in the Hoosiers’ record book. Jackson-Davis’ 43 points were the most sinceWoodson scored 48 points against Illinois on March 3rd, 1979. Woodson also had 18 field goals in that game.

Jackson-Davis, who has scored in double figures in 31 of his last 32 games, was the only high major player to average at least 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds a year ago. He will go against a Syracuse 2-3 zone defense that relies on 6’11 junior Jesse Edwards in the paint.

Pitt transfer 6’3 guard Xavier Johnson is averaging 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists while running the offense. He averaged 14.2 points and 5.7 assists a year ago.

On the Defensive End

Indiana, not Syracuse, will bring the better defense into this one, at least statistically. The Hoosiers lead NCAA Division I in field goal percentage defense, at 32.1 percent, although Marshall shot an opponents’ high 49.2 percent Saturday. Jackson State and Louisiana, their two previous opponents, shot 20.7 and 19.7 percent, respectively.

The Hoosiers, ranked 18th in adjusted defensive efficiency by KenPom, have given 52.7 point per game, second in the Big Ten, and lead the conference with an average of seven blocked shots per game. Louisiana missed 25 straight field goal attempts in the Hoosiers’ 76-44 victory on Nov. 21.

Opponents are shooting 43.5 percent against Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, 37.4 percent from three-point range. Syracuse is ranked 156th in KenPom defensive efficiency, extending a slide that began in 2019-20 (116th) before improving somewhat last season (77th).

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The Boeheim Brigade

When grad transfer Jimmy Boeheim joined the Orange, coach Jim Boeheim became only the third coach in NCAA Division I to coach two sons.

All-American candidate 6’6 guard Buddy Boeheim leads five players in double figures at 20.0 points per game, and older brother 6’8 forward Jimmy is fourth at 12.3 points per after averaging double figures in his last two seasons at Cornell. Buddy is shooting a career-low 40.2 percent in this season’s small sample size.

https://youtu.be/1Ls_s_o1mLY

The Orange are coming off two losses in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas last week, falling to VCU in the first game and No. 21 Auburn in the third around a victory over Arizona State. Buddy was16 of 46 from the field and 5 of 21 from three-point range in the tournament.

Edwards emerged in the last two games in the Bahamas, with 38 points on 16 of 19 shooting and 16 rebonds. He had a career-high 21 points against an Arizona State that lacks a significant interior presence.

By the Numbers

Indiana is 4-2 ATS, all as a favorite in its six home games, with St. John’s the only name opponent in the Gavitt Games. The total has gone under five times. Syracuse is 2-4 ATS, 0-1 as an underdog it last time out when it failed to cover the 5.5 number in the 89-68 loss to Auburn.

Mike Woodson is the first Indiana coach to win his first six games since Branch McCracken (1938-1939), who won his first seven, but the Hoosiers have not been seriously tested. The is not a vintage Syracuse team, but the struggles in the Battle 4 Atlantis should have its attention.

The pick: Syracuse +1.5 (-105)

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