FSU Basketball: Q&A with Syracuse experts from Inside the Loud House

FSU basketball will look to win its fourth ACC game in a row but will have a tough matchup against the Syracuse Orange. We talk with Syracuse experts from Inside The Loud House.

FSU basketball (16-5, 4-4 ACC) has won its last three games and they were games they were supposed to win.

However, their shooting woes will be put to the test Tuesday night when they travel up north to take on the zone of the Syracuse Orange.

Syracuse (16-6, 7-2 ACC) has won four of its last five with the lone loss a blowout against a highly ranked Virginia Tech squad.

I spoke with our Syracuse expert Paul Edsen Jr. from the Inside the Loud House site on the FanSided network.

Check out our Q&A below:

CC-Give us a brief synopsis of what the Syracuse season has looked like so far? The highs? The lows?

ILH-Interesting to say the least. Before the season started Syracuse was a top-15 preseason selection then they encountered four non-conference losses. FUN FACT: when Syracuse has taken on four non-conference losses or more, they’ve never made the tournament. So Syracuse had their work cut our for them to make up for it in conference play and boy did they. The Orange have been phenomenal on the road (5-1) and that includes conquests vs Duke and vs Ohio State. Overall in conference play Syracuse is 7-2, the second best start they’ve ever had in ACC play.

CC-When Syracuse is playing their brand of basketball what does that look like both on offense and on defense?

ILH-I think there’s a conflict between what Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim thinks is their brand of basketball and what I think. Boeheim has constantly said he doesn’t think his team can run, I vehemently disagree. This Syracuse team has a ton of depth and I feel they’re best when they’re running and gunning. Overall they’ve done very well from beyond the arc and the dangerous part of this team is that there are four or five guys that could go off for 20 points on any night, but you never know what you’re going to get with the inconsistency. Offensively this team wants to pound it in the paint but they lack the talent to do so. Defensively the 2-3 zone can confound teams and cause turnovers and then this team can grab those and create instant offense and that’s when SU is really firing on all cylinders.

CC-Who are the straws that stir the drink for the Orange? Strengths? Weaknesses?

ILH-Tyus Battle is the best player on this squad, but the difference this season is that they don’t need him to be superman anymore. Just look at this past game vs Pitt on Saturday, Battle didn’t play well and Syracuse still won the game. Elijah Hughes didn’t play last season due to the transfer rule, but he’s played so well in a lot of different areas. Oshae Brissett had his best game of the season vs Pitt (18 points led the team) and hopefully that’s a sign of things to come instead of just a blip on the radar. Buddy Boeheim (Jim’s son) started off the season slow but has been red hot in the last 5-6 games. The weakness is definitely inside Paschal Chukwu is hit and miss and there’s a lack of depth at the center position (Bourama Sidibe and Marek Dolezaj), so there’s vulnerability with penetration if you can get past the 2-3 zone.

CC-We know Cuse will play zone on defense, but how do you see them attacking the Noles offensively?  Who are the guys FSU will have to look out for?

ILH-If Paschal Chukwu is on (you can tell at the beginning of the game whether he’s in it or not), Syracuse will try to pound it inside. Last game out they schemed Oshae Brissett into the post and he worked it inside with an aggressiveness. They’ll try to do that and if they have success, the FSU defense will start to tighten up and Syracuse will kick it out to their perimeter shooters for good looks. In the infamous words of Rihanna, Syracuse just has to shut up and drive.

CC-Finally a prediction, how do you see this one playing out?

ILH-Five of the next six games for the Orange are against top-25 teams, so they are facing one of the toughest stretches of their schedule. The Orange are back playing at home for the first time in a while after coming off a three game road trip vs FSU and I think that’s going to give them some early energy and they need it because they struggle getting to fast starts. FSU is red hot and I expect this to be a close game, give me the Orange in the lovely confines of the Carrier Dome: 77-72.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen. Be sure to check out our responses to their questions. The game will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will air on the ACC Network.