As a squad attempting to work through consistency issues early in the season, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team will have to put together its best performances to date if it hopes to contend with two of the nation’s elite programs this weekend.
The Beach (3-4) will travel to face No. 4 Syracuse (6-0) on Thursday and No. 7 Ohio State (5-1) on Saturday.
LBSU head coach Dan Monson said the team would look to improve and create an identity against the highest level of competition.
“You have an opportunity to play two of the top-10 teams in the country and you want to take advantage of those opportunities,” he said. “Yet, we’re in a position right now where we just need to worry about getting better. We just need to get better everyday.”
The undefeated Orange have won by an average of 24.1 points per contest and have had only one game this season decided by less than ten (91-82 over Arkansas).
Syracuse is led in scoring by seniors James Southerland and Brandon Triche, who have averaged a 31.7 combined points per game.
Sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams leads the team in both assists and rebounds, averaging 9.5 and 6.5 respectively. His 9.5 dimes per night lead the country.
Without the ball, Syracuse is just as strong. The team’s 43.5 rebounds per night rank ninth in the nation and are a major part of its stringent defense.
“Syracuse has the best zone in the country,” Monson said. “They have so much length, so much size. They really pressure up, and they have almost four guys above the free-throw line. They dare you to try to get by their length, and that’s difficult.”
The Beach will have little time to shift its focus before it’s 9 a.m. contest with 2012 Final Four participant Ohio State on Saturday.
The Buckeyes are paced by Deshaun Thomas, whose 21 points per game are good for 16th-best nationally. He also provides an average of 6.5 rebounds per game.
Ohio State’s only loss of the season came on Nov. 28 to No. 2 Duke, when the then fourth-ranked Buckeyes fell to the Blue Devils, 73-68.
The 49ers will begin their weekend test at 5 p.m. on Thursday, when they face Syracuse in a game televised by ESPN2. Their Saturday morning game against Ohio State will be televised by Big Ten Network.