After picking up its second win of the season on Saturday against Seattle, Syracuse (2-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) continues its nonconference slate against Cornell (1-3). Wednesday will be the third time head coach Jim Boeheim coaches against his son Jimmy Boeheim — Cornell’s leading scorer — and the second time Buddy and Jimmy will go head-to-head in college. Syracuse is a 20-point favorite against the Big Red as of Wednesday evening.

Here are our beat writers’ predictions for Wednesday’s 7 p.m. game in the Carrier Dome:

Nick Alvarez (3-0)
“If you don’t chew big red…”
Syracuse 75, Cornell 61

It’s almost perfect that this game is played close to Thanksgiving. What better family bragging rights are there? Unlike the first Battle of the Boeheim, both Buddy and Jimmy should be pivotal figures in this matchup. Both have the potential to set season-highs in 2019-20, and Jimmy is averaging 10 points and 5.5 rebounds each time he plays in the Carrier Dome with Cornell. There’s room for improvement in Buddy’s case, three nights removed from 10 points and five missed 3-pointers. So why not have success come against your older brother? Aside from the Boeheim theatrics, this game should be a standard nonconference blowout. Cornell doesn’t have the guard to stop Joe Girard III from following up an impressive first-start or the shooting to stretch the zone.

Michael McCleary (3-0)
“But Dad!!!”
Syracuse 78, Cornell 53

Dads are sometimes the most influential coaches you’ll ever have, but in Jimmy Boeheim’s case, his Dad might just further derail Cornell’s down season. The Big Red have lost three of its first four games. The opponents? Bryant, NJIT and DePaul. Cornell is the lowest-ranked team Syracuse will face all season, per KenPom, for a reason. Jimmy is having a fine start to the season and is probably Cornell’s best player. Jimmy, however, might just be the least happy Boeheim when Wednesday night’s game ends.

Josh Schafer (3-0)
“The baby always gets what he wants”
Syracuse 77, Cornell 55

As the youngest of three, I can attest that the little brother always wins the family fights. The same will be the case for Buddy Boeheim when he and his father face off against Buddy’s older brother, Jimmy. While Jimmy, a junior forward, is leading the Big Red in scoring, Cornell hasn’t found much success as a team. At 1-3, the Big Red have only beaten Binghamton by 20 points, a mark Syracuse could certainly match. With poor defense, including a 270th ranked defense on 3-pointers, as long as the Orange hit some shots they will be more than fine on Wednesday night.

Published on November 20, 2019 at 1:59 am