Orange tangle with Hawkeyes in 2K Classic consolation game

Nov 21, 2014 - 4:28 PM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of teams coming off disappointing losses do battle in the Big Apple on Friday evening, as the 23rd-ranked Syracuse Orange and Iowa Hawkeyes meet in the consolation game of the 2K Classic.

Syracuse had opened the season with a pair of blowout wins over visiting teams Kennesaw State (89-42) and Hampton (65-47), but then took on California at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, and came out on the short end of a 73-59 final.

Iowa also faced Hampton in the early going, winning easily (90-56), and then whipped up on North Dakota (87-56) to bring a 2-0 record into Thursday's clash with 10th-ranked Texas. The outcome of that game was pretty much what most expected, as the Longhorns prevailed in a 71-57 final.

Iowa has won both previous meetings in the series with Syracuse, with the last taking place during the 1979-80 season.

Poor shooting across the board doomed Syracuse in Thursday's tussle with California, as Jim Boeheim's squad made good on only 35.9 percent of its field goal attempts, which included a dismal 4-of-17 showing from 3-point range. Adding insult to injury, the Orange converted a mere 56.3 percent of their free throws (9-of-16), while Cal was 13-of-17 at the stripe. The Golden Bears nailed nine treys in the game, shooting 46.4 percent from the floor overall. Kaleb Joseph and Michael Gbinije led SU with 13 points apiece, while Chris McCullough chipped in with 12. McCullough was also highly productive at the defensive end, blocking five shots and coming up with three steals. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

For the season, McCullough is one of two SU players averaging double digits in the scoring column, as his 13.7 ppg is just off the pace set by team leader Rakeem Christmas, who is actually averaging a double-double consisting of 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. As a team, Syracuse is shooting just 42.2 percent from the field, but is allowing foes only 39.1 percent success. Neither the Orange (.260) nor their opponents (.288) are shooting well from distance.

Iowa too had difficulty finding the bottom of the net in Thursday's double- digit loss to Texas, as the Hawkeyes shot just 29.6 percent from the field, missing 10 of their 14 3-point launches in the process. They did manage a 21- of-28 effort at the free-throw line, but 15 turnovers and domination by the Longhorns in points in the paint (36-16), bench points (22-10), along with a sizzling 60.7 percent shooting effort in the second half doomed coach Fran McCaffery's club. Despite the team's lack of success, forward Aaron White led all scorers with 23 points, thanks to a 14-of-16 showing at the foul line, and he pulled down eight rebounds as well. He also had a team-high four turnovers. Adam Woodbury was the only other Hawkeye to score in double figures, as he netted 10 points to go with eight boards as well.

White and Jarrod Uthoff pace the team in scoring with 17.3 and 11.0 ppg, respectively. White is tied with Woodbury for the team-lead in rebounding with 7.7 rpg each, and he serves as the club's primary playmaker as well with his 4.0 apg. Collectively, the Hawkeyes are shooting 43.9 percent from the field, while holding the opposition to just 35.1 percent. They also own a +9.0 rebounding margin, but are dead even in terms of turnovers (15.7 per game).