Syracuse (7-4) hosts Arkansas State (5-6) on Saturday looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The Red Wolves enter on a two-game winning streak to play the Orange at 2 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. On Tuesday, Arkansas State beat Missouri State, 71-63.

Here’s what to know about the Red Wolves before tip-off on Saturday.

All-time series: This will be the first ever meeting between the schools

The Arkansas State report: The Red Wolves’ five wins this season are slightly misleading. None of the five rank higher than 180th in the KenPom rankings, while Syracuse ranks 34th. Everything the Arkansas State offense does starts with Ty Cockfield II, who leads the Red Wolves in points, assists, steals and 3s. Beyond him, it’s a balanced scoring attack that features five more players averaging between seven and 10 points per game.

The problems for Arkansas State start with making 2-point shots. ASU shoots 41.4 percent from inside the arc, 343rd in the country per KenPom. The Red Wolves don’t make up for that with their 3-point shooting, making 33.5 percent from long range. Arkansas State will also be disadvantaged in size, as the Red Wolves’ tallest player measures 6-foot-9.

Arkansas State’s two most-recent wins stemmed from holding opponents to below 25 percent from 3-point range, an area where Syracuse has struggled this season. The Red Wolves’ most-frequent lineups feature Cockfield II along with 6-foot-2 Marquis Eaton and 6-foot-4 Grantham Gillard, three quick players who will stay up in shooters faces as part of ASU’s man-to-man defense.

How Syracuse beats Arkansas State: Don’t look past the Red Wolves. After Arkansas State, it’s a St. Bonaventure team that beat SU last year and then conference play. ASU is the worst team Syracuse will play for the rest of the season, but coming off two losses, this game should be about the Orange challenging themselves.

Syracuse could probably remain a one-half team and beat Arkansas State, just by out-rebounding the smaller Red Wolves and using its top-20 defense to shut down the weak Sun Belt team’s offense. But for the Orange to not only beat Arkansas State but gain positive momentum going forward, they’ll need to play both halves.

Syracuse has yet to put together a full 40-minute effort this season, players have said. Ohio State was closest, but even then, the Orange came out flat. To bounce back from two-straight losses, Syracuse should aim to not just beat a bad Arkansas State team; the Orange should try to run ASU off the floor with stifling defense and superior offensive players scoring when and where they want to.

Stat to know: 21.3: The points per game average of Ty Cockfield II, about 11 points higher than Arkansas State’s second-highest scorer

KenPom odds: Syracuse has a 96 percent chance to win, by a projected score of 79-59

Player to watch: Ty Cockfield II, guard, No. 0

The 6-foot senior guard from Gainesville, Georgia, is on his third collegiate team in four years. After finishing second-highest on ASU in scoring a year ago, this year’s team is all his to lead. He takes the most shots on the Red Wolves, including knocking down 40 percent of his 3s, while also being their leading assist-getter. When Arkansas State played Minnesota, its toughest opposition thus far, Cockfield II tried to take over the game and scored 24 points. Expect to see most of the positive Arkansas State does on Saturday to begin or end with Cockfield II.

Published on December 21, 2018 at 11:43 am

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3