On Saturday, the No. 4-ranked Syracuse Orange take on the AP polls No. 25-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats at the Carrier Dome (Noon on SNY and ESPN3). Most experts and or pundits think Syracuse should win today's game fairly easily. However, this is a perfect trap-game for SU, which travels to the No. 5 Pittsburgh Panthers on Monday night (7:30 p.m. on ESPN) and host the No. 7 Villanova Wildcats next Saturday (noon on ESPN).
(Click here for SB Nation New York's Bearcat Scouting Report.)
Despite being one of the last seven teams in the nation to remain undefeated and being tied for second in the Big East Conference standings, the Bearcats (16-1, 3-1 Big East) are not getting a lot of respect from college basketball experts.
"It would be a massive upset despite what the record might indicate," said CBSSports.com's college basketball insider Gary Parrish about if Cincinnati beat host Syracuse. "(Against Villanova) they looked incapable of winning that game from start to finish."
"If (Cincinnati) is going to prove people wrong they need to, not necessarily go in there (the Carrier Dome) and win because I am not sure if anybody is going to go in there and win this year, but be respectable and show that you have some stuff about you."
Now, I am not saying that Cincy is a Pitt, 'Nova or the Connecticut Huskies. However, they can beat Syracuse at the Dome. Especially, since SU has started it's last two games, which were against inferior opponents, very slow. If SU starts slow against this Bearcats squad, which doesn't turn the ball over (10.9 turnovers-per game, which is the lowest in the conference). Then it could get ugly by the end.