Syracuse vs. Miami College Basketball Preview, TV Schedule, Prediction

TV Schedule: Saturday, Jan. 2, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3

Stadium: BankUnited Center

Both the Syracuse Orange and Miami Hurricanes have surprised in the 2015-16 college basketball season, and the two ACC squads will battle it out on Saturday.

Syracuse started off the year by making some noise with victories over the Connecticut Huskies and Texas A&M Aggies. The Orange have fallen off the map a bit, but they still have gotten off to a 10-4 start, and look like contenders in the ACC.

As for the Hurricanes, they are 11-1 on the year and are ranked as high as No. 13. They have knocked off opponents like the Utah Utes, Butler Bulldogs and Florida Gators.

Since the ACC is filled with national title contenders, we will see just how good Syracuse and Miami are. Although having a solid outing in non-conference play is half the battle, a few marquee wins and a good conference record is what it is all about — well, at least when a team resides in the ACC.

Syracuse’s fast start has also led to a fast start for Michael Gbinije. Gbinije is exploding onto the scene as a senior, and he is averaging 18.3 points per game to prove it. As for Miami, Sheldon McClellan is leading the scoring charge with 15.4 PPG.

While the Orange have proved to be contenders so far in the 2015-16 season, it is hard to go against Miami in this clash. Here are a few reasons why: The Hurricanes are playing at home, they have won six games in a row and Syracuse was already handed its first ACC loss of the season against the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Therefore, I am predicting the Hurricanes to continue to rack up the wins in this ACC battle.

PREDICTION: Orange 65, Hurricanes 73

Trevor Lowry is a Content Associate at www.RantSports.com. If you’re a tweeter feel free to follow him @TheTrevorLowry, or “Like” him on Facebook.