Oregon Ducks men's basketball to face Syracuse Orange in South Dakota matchup
Oregon (7-2) vs. Syracuse (7-3)
Time/date: 10 a.m. Sunday
Site: Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
TV: CBS Sports Network. Radio: KUJZ-FM (95.3).
About the matchup: The only other game these two teams have played against each other was won by Oregon, 80-65, in the 2018 Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. Bol Bol had 26 points and nine rebounds for the Ducks in that game. The Ducks are on a three-game win streak and the Orange have won two straight, with their last game an 80-68 victory against Georgetown on Dec. 9. Neither team is ranked in the Associated Press top 25, though Oregon was No. 51 in the NET ranking as of Friday, and Syracuse was No. 93.
About the Ducks: A win would give Oregon its best start since going 9-2 in 2020-21. The Ducks already have their best nonconference record since going 11-2 in 2019-20. Oregon has started 10 different players this season but has had the same starting lineup during its three-game winning streak — guards Jackson Shelstad, Jermaine Couisnard, Brennan Rigsby, forward Kwame Evans Jr. and center Mahamadou Diawara. Shelstad has led the Ducks in scoring during the win streak, averaging 14.0 points and also 4.0 assists. Couisnard is averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists during that stretch.
About the Orange: For the first season in nearly five decades, Jim Boeheim is not the coach at Syracuse. He retired last spring following his 47th season at the school and was replaced by longtime assistant Adrian Autry. Sophomore guard Judah Mintz leads the Orange with 20.1 points per game and 35 assists. He also gets to the free-throw line more than any player in the nation besides Purdue center Zach Edey. Mintz has taken 90 free-throws this season and has made 71 (78.9%). ... Sophomore forward Chris Bell also scores 13.2 per game and has a team high 29 3-pointers. Sophomore center Maliq Brown has made 29-of-40 shots (72.5%) this season.
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks men's basketball to play Syracuse Orange in South Dakota
