Syracuse Orange vs SMU Mustangs Prediction, 3/4/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Syracuse Orange vs SMU Mustangs

Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Location: Moody Coliseum in Tucson, AZ

TV: ESPN+

The SMU Mustangs (21-8) host the Syracuse Orange (12-17) at Moody Coliseum on Tuesday.

The Syracuse Orange took the court against Virginia Tech and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 101-95 in their last contest. Syracuse ended with a 54.1% field goal percentage (33 of 61) and converted 6 out of their 15 shots from downtown. When they shot from the free throw line, the Orange converted 23 of their 29 tries for a rate of 79.3%. Regarding getting rebounds, they earned a total of 26 with 7 of them being offensive. They also doled out 18 assists in this matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In relation to defending, Syracuse allowed the other team to go 60.7% from the floor on 37 of 61 shooting. Virginia Tech recorded 19 assists and had 8 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Virginia Tech grabbed 20 rebounds (3 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Virginia Tech finished the game at 82.6% when shooting free throws by burying 19 of 23 attempts. They also converted 8 out of their 19 shots from downtown. In regard to personal fouls, the Orange left the arena with 20 while Virginia Tech totaled 21 personal fouls.

Jyare Davis is one player who came through for the matchup. He ended up with 21 points on 8 out of 11 shooting. He played for 38 minutes played and also totaled 2 boards. He finished 72.7% from the field and also totaled 1 assist.

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Syracuse will enter this matchup with a record of 12-17 on the year. They currently have an average of 75.4 pts per contest (137th in college hoops) while hitting 45.6% from the field. The Orange are hitting 32.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (188 of 571) and 70.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Syracuse is pulling down 37.6 rebounds per game and has accounted for 392 assists on the season, which ranks 217th in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.4 times per game and as a team are committing 16.1 fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Orange are forcing their opponents into 9.7 turnovers per game while drawing 17.3 personal fouls. They are ranked 181st in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 389 conceded so far this year. The Orange defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.9% (815 of 1,775) and they concede 34.0 boards per contest as a group. They give up 34.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 336th in college in points per game allowed (78.8).

The last time they took the court, the SMU Mustangs took a loss by a score of 73-68 against Stanford. When it comes to how they cleaned up the glass, SMU allowed Stanford to grab 24 in total (5 offensive). They wrapped up this game 45.8% from three-point range by shooting 11 of 24 and ended up shooting 2 out of 2 from the free throw line (100.0%). The Mustangs permitted Stanford to bury 30 of their 55 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 54.5% in the matchup. In all, the Mustangs finished 23 for 51 from the field which had them shooting 45.1%. In reference to shooting from beyond the arc, SMU made 6 out of their 16 attempts (37.5%). They were able to convert 16 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 72.7%. Stanford was called for 18 fouls for the contest which got the Mustangs to the free throw line for a total of 22 attempts. They gave up possession 11 times, while earning 7 steals for the game. The Mustangs pulled down 18 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 28 in this game.

Chuck Harris ended up being a factor for the Mustangs in this contest. He buried 7 out of 16 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 43.8%, and had 4 rebounds. He totaled 17 points in his 35 mins of playing time and added 3 assists for the contest.

SMU has a win-loss record of 21-8 so far this season. On the offensive side of the court, the Mustangs are shooting 48.2% from the floor, which ranks 32nd in the country. SMU has 2,368 pts so far this season (81.7 per contest) and they grab 39.3 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 16.0 times per game (46th in college) and they cough up possession 12.0 times per game. The Mustangs have committed 16.7 fouls per contest and they hit 72.9% from the free throw line.

The SMU defense gives up 33.2% from downtown (239 of 719) and their opponents are connecting on 74.6% of their foul shots. They allow 15.4 assists and 33.0 boards per game, which has them ranked 330th and 101st in those categories on the defensive end. The Mustangs on defense are ranked 183rd in college in PPG allowed with 71.9. They are forcing their opponents into 12.1 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 40.9% from the floor (43rd in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Syracuse

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