Syracuse (18-8, 8-5 Atlantic Coast) matches up with Louisville (19-6, 8-4) on Wednesday at the KFC Yum! Center. The Orange comes in on fire, having won eight of its last nine, while the Cardinals have hit a skid, losing its last two.

Here’s how our beat writers think the game will play out.

Sam Blum (18-8)
Syracuse 64 Louisville 57
Dance Dance Revolution

Let’s be honest, a win here and Syracuse is basically in. And the streaking Orange does just that against a team that can’t figure out how to pile signature wins. The Cardinals have good senior guards, but so does Syracuse. And don’t discount the fact that Syracuse has something to play for.

Jesse Dougherty (18-8)
Louisville 72, Syracuse 66
Show stoppers

Rick Pitino said Monday that his Louisville team doesn’t have much to play for these days, but don’t take that to mean that it’s going to let unranked teams take wins out of the Cardinals own building. Postseason banned or not, Louisville is still one of the ACC’s best teams with a backcourt that can match Syracuse’s guards’ experience and an athletic frontcourt that can control games from the inside. Last season, an Orange team with no postseason eligibility beat a ranked Cardinals team in the Carrier Dome. A year later, Louisville returns the favor in its own gym by putting an end to SU’s current five-game winning streak.

Matt Schneidman (18-8)
Louisville 69, Syracuse 66
Spoiling the fun

Not much has been able to slow down the Orange as of late, but a pair of fifth-year senior guards and a team out to prove it won’t lay down because of a postseason ban may be the perfect formula. Louisville is without skilled passing big man Anas Mahmoud, but Damion Lee and Trey Lewis are one of the better backcourt pairs in the country. They might be the best match for Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije and this time, the Cardinals get the better end of the deal a year after SU pulled the upset when it was in the same, hopeless spot. Syracuse’s tear through the ACC comes to a brief end, but a three-point loss to one of the conference’s best teams provides reason for optimism.

Published on February 16, 2016 at 9:07 pm