Syracuse (2-0) continues the start to its season — its longest home stretch of the season — on Saturday against Texas Southern (0-3). The Orange is coming off a 71-62 win against Iona, while the Tigers recently lost, 82-64, to Ohio State.

Here’s what to know about TSU:

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 2-0

Last time they played: The Orange beat the Tigers, 80-67, on Dec. 27, 2015. Syracuse had five players — Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney, Dajuan Coleman, Tyler Lydon and Malachi Richardson — score at least 10 points. TSU was led by Derrick Griffin (who also played football for the Tigers), who put up 20 points and nine rebounds.

The Texas Southern Report: The Tigers don’t play a single nonconference home game, lining their schedule with tough nonconference games. They’ve already played Gonzaga and Ohio State and will play Kansas three days after playing the Orange.

The Tigers were led by Demontrae Jefferson in the first two games, as he averaged 21 points over the first two games of the season. He was suspended in last week’s matchup against Ohio State.

Jefferson aside, the Tigers have Massachusetts graduate transfer Donte Clark who has put up 17.3 points per game, adding 9.7 rebounds. TSU is missing two of its top four scorers from a year ago, though.

The Tigers also run out 7-foot-2 center Trayvon Reed, which will negate the size advantage the Orange has with Paschal Chukwu.

How Syracuse beats Texas Southern: The Orange struggled a little bit against Iona, but a similar game plan should lead the Orange to victory. Tyus Battle is averaging 23 points per game over the first two, and the Tigers don’t really have the personnel to match up with him. If SU can limit mistakes on both ends, it shouldn’t have an issue winning the game.

Stats to know: 52.6 percent

Syracuse has shot a better 52.6 percent combined in the second halves of its last two games. Comparatively, the Orange has shot just 37.2 percent in the first half.

Player to watch: Donte Clark, guard, No. 1

Clark is a volume scorer, averaging 17.3 points but shooting just 40.5 percent. Even though he stands at just 6-foot-4, he’s crashed the glass, adding nearly 10 rebounds per game. He could be prone to mistakes, though, as he’s racked up more turnovers (10) than assists (9). The Orange will have to try and limit his scoring while forcing him into mistakes.

Published on November 18, 2017 at 10:40 am

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer