Phil D’Abbraccio (2-1): Syracuse 63, Iowa 57
I-owe-ya
Syracuse is indebted to its home away from home after a woeful offensive outing Thursday night. Iowa shot a feeble 29.6 percent from the floor in its loss to No. 10 Texas in the first semifinal of the 2K Classic. That kind of offense isn’t going to cut it against the Orange, regardless of how much SU is struggling to put points on the board itself. Those issues may persist for SU, but its defense will be plenty enough for the offense’s few semblances of life to push the Orange past the Hawkeyes and avoid a nonconference losing streak.

Jesse Dougherty (3-0): Syracuse 61, Iowa 52
Court of dreams
Sure, Syracuse didn’t look too good against California, but it’s worth noting that the Golden Bears were in rare form. Iowa was probably taking notes on how to stretch the Orange’s 2-3 zone, but that doesn’t mean the Hawkeyes will execute as well. And assuming they don’t, dominant games from Chris McCullough and Rakeem Christmas get SU somewhat back on track.

Jacob Klinger (2-1): Syracuse 65, Iowa 55
Taking back the Garden
The Hawkeyes lack the threats to stretch the floor or break open the game in the way that California did Thursday night. Syracuse gets fewer errors from Kaleb Joseph and a few more points from the rest of its guards. Christmas spends a few more minutes on the floor and most explosively, without having to handle the post on his own, McCullough goes off for a double-double.