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Syracuse showed back on Nov. 30 against Alabama that it has NCAA Tournament potential. Before then, the Orange had only faced two Power Five opponents (then-No. 20 Maryland and Iowa State), going 1-1 in those matchups. Then, SU delivered a statement 79-73 win over the Crimson Tide.

The victory left the Orange 6-1 at the time, with four consecutive nonconference, non-Power Five games remaining before Atlantic Coast Conference play began. They plunged into the seemingly easy slate on Dec. 4 versus Northeastern. Despite trailing for most of the first quarter, Syracuse outscored the Huskies by 23 points across the final three frames en route to a 79-57 victory.

Next, SU is set to battle Mid American Conference foe Ohio. The Bobcats are coming off a blowout 85-45 loss to in-state rival No. 12 Ohio State.

Here’s what to know about Ohio (2-4, 0-0 MAC) before it plays Syracuse (7-1, 0-0 ACC) Saturday afternoon:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 4-0.

Last time they played

SU previously took on Ohio on Nov. 5, 2019, for its 2019-20 regular-season opener at the Dome. The Orange were coming off a 25-9 season in which they qualified for the NCAA Tournament only to fall in the second round.

The Bobcats got out to a commanding 22-10 advantage through one quarter of play. Syracuse shot just 20% from the field in the frame. SU flipped the script in the second quarter, outscoring Ohio 21-8 to take a 31-30 lead at half.

The Orange kept their foot on the gas throughout the second half, eventually winning 66-54 over Ohio. They dominated the Bobcats on the boards, outrebounding Ohio 57-32. Former Syracuse guard Kiara Lewis dropped a team-high 16 points in the victory, also adding eight rebounds.

Cindy Zhang | Digital Design Director

The Bobcats report

In 2022-23, Ohio went 6-23, including a 4-14 in-conference record. It was the worst season for head coach Bob Boldon, who’s in his 11th season at the helm. Boldon is the program’s all-time winningest head coach and typically produces a competitive side. Heading into the 2023-24 season, Boldon overhauled the roster — just four players returned.

Yet through six games, Ohio hasn’t taken advantage of its nonconference schedule. Other than its loss to a Big Ten team in Ohio State, the Bobcats have been inconsistent against fellow non-Power Five teams. They are 2-3 versus those opponents, including a 29-point loss to Morehead State on Nov. 22.

Ohio’s main deficiency lies in its struggles on the glass. According to HerHoopStats, The Bobcats have a defensive rebounding rate of 57.7%, the eighth-lowest mark in Division I. They also have the 12th-worst total rebounding rate in the country (41.4%).

How Syracuse beats Ohio

On the glass, Syracuse overmatches Ohio. The Orange contain a tandem of physical bigs in Izabel Varejão and Kyra Wood while also having one of the country’s top freshman defenders in Alyssa Latham. Those three combine for what’s been a much-improved SU defensive unit.

The Orange allow 59.6 points per game, 8.3 less than their total in 2022-23 (67.9, second-worst in the ACC). They also hold a 56.3% total rebounding rate, the 28th-best in the country, per HerHoopStats.

Latham and Wood are each pulling in 8.0 or more rebounds per game while Varejão provides key frontcourt depth, averaging a block and nearly four boards per contest. There are five Syracuse players that have more rebounds per game than Ohio’s leader Madi Mace, who has 4.8. SU has plenty of options offensively through its guards, though its ability to overpower the Bobcats on the boards is SU’s most glaring advantage.

Stat to know: 24.2 turnovers per game

Piling on to SU being a nightmare defense to go up against for Ohio, the Bobcats turn the ball over 24.2 times per game — the fourth-worst average in the nation.

The fewest turnovers Ohio has committed in a single game this season was 18, which it has done twice. In the Bobcats season-opening loss to Appalachian State on Nov. 11, they registered a whopping 33 turnovers.

SU’s backcourt trio of Dyaisha Fair, Alaina Rice and Georgia Woolley — who all average 1.8 steals per game or greater — will give Ohio fits Saturday afternoon if the Bobcats fail to protect the ball.

Player to watch: Jaya McClure, guard, No. 0

Jaya McClure, a 5-foot-6 sophomore guard, has emerged as Ohio’s primary scoring threat. After putting up 8.0 points per game as a freshman in 2022-23, McClure is averaging a team-best 13.4 through five appearances this year.

With the Bobcats lacking Syracuse’s defensive prowess, McClure may be tasked to attempt and match the output of Fair. But McClure doesn’t have the outside help like Fair does, making her job increasingly difficult.

Published on December 6, 2023 at 11:59 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews