After some early bumps in the road, Syracuse and visiting Saint Joseph’s hope to build off recent wins when they match up Thursday evening.
The game, which was originally slated to be a neutral-site showdown in Las Vegas, was switched a couple of months ago to a Syracuse home game. That could be good for the Orange (5-3), who may still be feeling some positive vibes from their exciting home upset of No. 13 Tennessee in their most recent game.
It’s been a while since that contest on Dec. 2, but it was a memorable one for coach Adrian Autry and the Orange. Nate Kingz led the way with 19 points, William Kyle III made a big free throw down the stretch and Syracuse forced 17 turnovers in a 62-60 triumph.
The marquee win was significant because the Orange had just gone 0-3 in the Players Era tournament, including an overtime loss to No. 3 Houston.
“Every win is important,” Autry said after upsetting the Volunteers. “But in particular, a win at home against a team like Tennessee was huge because we were so close last week.”
Saint Joseph’s (6-3) lost three straight games in mid-November but has since rallied to post four consecutive victories. Most recently, the Hawks defeated Coppin State 87-65 on Tuesday, with Jaiden Glover-Toscano making seven 3-pointers and scoring 25 points.
Deuce Jones (15.6 points per game) and Glover-Toscano (13.6) are the leading scorers for Saint Joseph’s, which has played some quality opponents in the nonconference season.
After falling to Virginia Tech, Penn and UNLV last month, the Hawks are hungry for a notable win Thursday as they continue to prepare for Atlantic 10 play.
“The athleticism and the size and physicality, and the emotion, that’s what we’re gonna see in the A-10,” coach Steve Donahue said. “It’s a good learning experience for me to see these guys and who I can trust. We’ve got to make sure we come in every single day (like) every possession matters.”
