Bucknell squares up against Syracuse

Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Bucknell faces Syracuse in an early season matchup. Bucknell fell short in a 98-70 game at Penn State on Tuesday. Syracuse is coming off a 72-53 win at home over Cornell on Wednesday.

BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: The do-everything Elijah Hughes has averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and five assists to lead the way for the Orange. Complementing Hughes is Buddy Boeheim, who is accounting for 12.5 points per game. The Bison are led by Jimmy Sotos, who is averaging 12 points and four rebounds.

OFFENSIVE THREAT: Hughes has made or assisted on 46 percent of all Syracuse field goals over the last three games. The senior forward has accounted for 18 field goals and 19 assists in those games.

STREAK STATS: Syracuse has scored 77 points per game and allowed 58 over a three-game home winning streak.

PASSING FOR POINTS: The Orange have recently converted buckets via assists more often than the Bison. Syracuse has an assist on 56 of 81 field goals (69.1 percent) over its past three outings while Bucknell has assists on 46 of 88 field goals (52.3 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Bucknell is ranked first among Patriot League teams with an average of 73.6 points per game.