Louisville vs. Syracuse: Game Preview, Prediction

By Taylor Sturm
Cuse Hoops
Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Set your DVRs or cancel your plans on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, because the Syracuse Orange need to beat the Louisville Cardinals, making this a must-see game between two very good ACC teams.

Syracuse, who has banned themselves from postseason play, will look extremely foolish if they ban themselves from the 2015 NCAA Tournament when they were not going to make it in the first place. At 16-9, it’s beginning to look less likely that the Orange would have made the Big Dance, meaning that the NCAA is far more likely to add on to the punishment.

Louisville have been up and down all season long. They have just two impressive wins on the season against the North Carolina Tar Heels and Ohio State Buckeyes and have yet to beat any team that’s considered elite. What the Cardinals have accomplished so far this season is nowhere near their expectations entering the season, so a win against the Orange on the road would be a step in the right direction.

After the way Syracuse played against the Duke Blue Devils at home, it’s hard to see a scenario in which Louisville can contain Rakeem Christmas and Trevor Cooney. However, the Cardinals boast the better defense and should be able to keep this one close, even though Christmas and Cooney should get their points.

Unfortunately for Louisville, news just came through that Chris Jones will be suspended for a violation of team rules. Prior to his suspension I was leaning towards picking the Cardinals, but now it looks like Syracuse has the upper hand.

Prediction: Syracuse 66, Louisville 63

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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