Teams: Syracuse Orange (2-0, 0-0) vs. Drexel Dragons (1-2, 0-0)
Day & Time: Saturday, November 15, 3:30 pm ET
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV/Streaming: Peacock
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Rivalry: 4-1, Syracuse
Current Streak: 2, Syracuse
First Meeting: Syracuse and Drexel first crossed paths on a neutral court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the second round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament. On March 16, 1996, John Wallace and Otis Hill powered the Orange with a combined 34 points, leading Syracuse to a 69–58 victory.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams faced off was at the Carrier Dome on November 14, 2021. Syracuse was led by Buddy Boeheim who scored 23 points in 36 minutes played. The Dragons were actually leading at the break 33-32, but a 43-point second half propelled the Orange to a 75-60 victory.
Coaches: Syracuse – Adrian Autry (3rd season, 36-31), Drexel – Zach Spiker (10th season, 132-147)
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Coach Bio: Spiker knows upstate New York well. He played just down I-81 at Ithaca College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2000, and soon after began his coaching career. In 2002, he joined Winthrop’s staff as a graduate assistant while completing his master’s degree, then moved on to West Virginia before returning to Ithaca to become an assistant coach at Cornell. He spent five seasons with the Big Red before landing his first head-coaching opportunity at Army, where he went 102–112 over seven years with the Black Knights. Ahead of the 2016–17 season, he made the move to Drexel, where he has been at the helm ever since.
Last Year: Drexel finished with an overall record of 18-15 and went 9-9 in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). They managed to close the regular season on a positive note, including a key 71-61 home win over Monmouth Hawks in their finale, but would lose to Towson in the second round of the CAA tournament. The offense was led Kobe MaGee and Yame Butler who both averaged about 14 points per game, but neither of which are on the roster this season.
Last Game: Drexel lost 90-83 on Tuesday as they traveled to Hamilton to take on Colgate. The high-scoring affair was in part due to the 53 points that Drexel was able to score in the second half, although that would still not be enough. The Dragons were led by Shane Blakeney who scored 24 points and had four assists in the ballgame, but unfortunately could not stop Jalen Cox of Colgate, who had 26 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
If Syracuse wins: We clap our hands and move on to Monmouth.
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If Syracuse loses: We try not to hit the panic button and instead blame the curse of the Xfinity center and move on to Monmouth.
Fun Fact: Drexel was the fifth college in the country to have a basketball team, with their initial season coming during the 1894-1895 season, and their first game being a victory against Temple College with the final score being 26-1…Whatever that looked like.
How do you think Syracuse vs. Drexel will go this time around? Will you be tuned in on Peacock?
