NEW YORK — No. 15 Syracuse (2-1) and No. 13 Oregon (2-1) were favored in their two games at the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. But both teams lost, Syracuse by seven to UConn and Oregon by eight to Iowa. That sets up a ranked matchup in the early game, at 4:30 p.m., at MSG on Friday. It’ll provide an opportunity for both teams to get a good win on their resumes after questionable losses.

Here’s what you need to know about Oregon.

All-time series: First-ever meeting

The Oregon report: Oregon opened the season two spots above Syracuse in the AP poll and remained that way after week one, as both moved up one spot. The Ducks knocked off Eastern Washington and Portland State easily prior to Thursday night.

Oregon brought in the No. 3 recruiting class in the country this season, per 247sports. So far, that’s shown in one player: 7-foot-2 Bol Bol, the son of the late NBA player Manute Bol. Bol showed his potential most against EWU, when he went for 23 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and hit a 3. He played well against Iowa, too, with 14 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks. The play below shows how unique his game is for a seven-footer, as he blocks a shot, leads his own break and hits a jumper.

The other three standouts for the Ducks thus far have been upperclassmen: guard Payton Pritchard, guard Ehab Amin and forward Paul White. All three pose some threat from beyond the arc, including Amin hitting 5 3s on Thursday at MSG en route to 25 points. Pritchard, a junior, will run the offense for the Ducks.

How Syracuse beats Oregon: On Thursday, the answer to this question for Iowa turned out simply forcing Oregon to miss shots. The Ducks shot 35.9 percent in their loss. The Orange will need to limit easy chances at the rim and get a hand in shooter’s faces. Bol is practically unblockable when he takes jumpers, so SU has to make him uncomfortable and avoid letting him get dunks.

Oregon beat Washington and Mike Hopkins’ 2-3 zone twice last season, and both times, Pritchard and White scored in double figures. Pritchard hit multiple 3s in both games, so both of those veterans have shown an ability to handle length in a zone.

At the other end, Syracuse needs to find a way to get easier baskets. For much of the game against UConn, the Orange couldn’t create clean looks and settled for difficult jumpers. Pritchard is a lesser defender, but Amin will put pressure on SU’s guards (he had three steals against Iowa). If Syracuse can create clean looks and limit them defensively, they’ve got a shot against a good Oregon team.

KenPom odds: KenPom.com gives Syracuse a 60 percent chance to win, and predicts a final score of 71-68.

Stat to know: 24.7 – The block percentage of Oregon, meaning the Ducks block almost a quarter of their opponents’ shots, per KenPom. Bol Bol has 12 blocks, a 4.0 average tied for third in the country.

Player to watch: Ehab Amin, guard, No. 4

We’ve touched on Bol enough above. Amin is new to the Ducks this season, as well, having spent his first three collegiate seasons playing for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The 6-foot-4 guard from Egypt shone on the big stage at MSG on Thursday with his 25 points and three steals. He shot 5-for-8 from 3-point land. He’s got long arms that affected plays against Iowa all night defensively, and his right-handed set shot looked clean even from NBA range on Thursday.

Published on November 16, 2018 at 11:38 am

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3