Game Details: Tuesday, November 18th, Syracuse, N.Y., 9:00 p.m.
Live Stream: ACC Network
Live Coverage: Stats
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Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Monmouth Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
After taking down Drexel at the Autumn Invitational in Philadelphia this past weekend, the Syracuse Orange (3-0) are back at the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday evening for a matchup with the Monmouth Hawks (1-2).
Defensive Dominance
Syracuse is an unblemished 3-0 to start the season and is winning games by an average of 36 points behind a string of suffocating defensive performances.
Syracuse has been the best defensive team in the nation, from a statistical outlook. The Orange rank as the nation’s top team in scoring defense (46.7) field goal percentage defense (.284) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.160).
The defensive effort was on full display in the second half of the 80-50 win over Drexel this past Saturday. The Dragons hung around in the first half, with Syracuse taking a 37-32 lead into the break. The Orange went on to outscore Drexel 43-18 in the second half, while holding the Dragons to just 7-of-35 (.200) shooting from the floor. Syracuse’s perimeter defense was once again stout, holding the Dragons to just 6-of-23 (.260) from beyond the arc.
The win against Delaware State a couple of weekends ago was a historic defensive effort as well, holding the Hornets to 14-of-65 (.215) shooting from the field, which marked the lowest shooting percentage by an opponent since 2014.
Senior William Kyle III has patrolled the paint for the Orange, racking up a team-high 10 blocks thus far. He has also grabbed a team-high 15 boards on the defensive glass. Junior Naithan George has picked up eight steals already this season to lead the way while Kyle III and Tyler Betsey have each nabbed four.
Offensive Production
It has been a group effort on offense, with four different members of the roster averaging double-digit points through three games. Leading the way is sophomore Donnie Freeman, who is averaging 17.7 points per game, including back-to-back 20-point performances to start the season. He has grabbed 14 boards and dished out seven assists to begin the campaign as well.
Joining Freeman are several new faces making immediate impacts. Right behind Freeman is freshman Kiyan Anthony, averaging 17.3 points. Anthony has converted 21-of-33 (.636) of his shots from the field. Anthony earned a spot in the starting five against Delaware State and Drexel, and scored 19 and 18 points in those games, respectively.
Kyle III has dominated down low, converting 16-of-23 (.696) of his field goals thus far, and averaged 10.7 points per game. Meanwhile, George has dished out a team-high 18 assists while averaging 11.3 points per game.
As a collective, the offense is averaging 82.7 points per game while shooting .533 from the field, the 17th best field goal percentage in the nation. The Orange have taken care of the ball this season, boasting a 2.04 assist-turnover ratio.
Scouting Monmouth
The Monmouth Hawks come to Syracuse with a 1-2 record after having lost their previous two outings against La Salle and Seton Hall. After scoring 96 in their season opening win over Caldwell, the Hawks offense has faltered, averaging 59 points in the two losses.
While the offense may have hit a lull for the Hawks, Monmouth has defended opponents well. Monmouth has held its opposition to just .364 shooting from the field, the 30th best mark in the nation. Opponents are averaging 70.3 points per game against the Hawks.
Monmouth’s offense is led by Jason Rivera-Torres, who transferred in from San Francisco. The junior guard has started all three games thus far and is averaging 14.3 points per game, including a 20-point performance against La Salle. Rivera-Torres has connected on 14-of-29 (.483) shots from the field. At 6-foot-7, he has been a force on the glass as well, grabbing 7.7 boards per game.
Senior guard Jack Collins has spent his entire career with the Hawks, scoring 1,034 points during his time in West Long Branch, N.J.. He has also pulled down 558 boards, the seventh most in program history. The senior is a three-point specialist, having taken 66.4% of his shots from beyond the arc in his collegiate career. He started all 33 games for the Hawks a year ago, averaging 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Collins was a local find for Head Coach King Rice, having played his high school career at nearby Manasquan High School.
Rice is in his 15th season at the helm for Monmouth. With 221 victories to his name, he is the winningest head coach in Monmouth history. Rice’s 2016 team posted a program-record 28 wins.
Series History
The Orange lead the all-time series with Monmouth, 3-0, with the last meeting being an 86-71 Syracuse win on December 22nd, 2022.
TICKETS
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets.
