Opponent Preview: What to know ahead of Coppin State

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Through its first two games, Syracuse has outscored its opponents 176-94. Its most recent drubbing came against Central Connecticut on Nov. 10, where the Orange scored 100 or more points for the first time in the Felisha Legette-Jack era in a 101-53 victory.

Before the Orange take on No. 20 Maryland Sunday, they get one last tune-up taking on Coppin State Wednesday. The Eagles are coming off their first win of the season over Saint Francis, where they only allowed 34 points.

Here’s everything you need to know about Coppin State (1-2, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) before it takes on Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 6-0.

Last time they played

SU defeated Coppin State 93-75 on Dec. 8, 2022, in its seventh victory of last season. Though the Eagles led 27-23 after the opening quarter, Syracuse responded by outscoring Coppin State 28-18 in the second frame, ending on a 9-2 run to take a 51-45 lead at the break.

Coppin State slightly recovered in the third, but SU nearly doubled the Eagles’ fourth quarter output to win in commanding fashion. For the Orange, Dyaisha Fair tallied a game-high 27 points on 10-for-24 shooting, while Teisha Hyman added 20 and Asia Strong put up 16.

The Eagles report

Syracuse will not see heightened competition Wednesday evening. Coppin State started its season 0-2 before beating an 0-3 Saint Francis team. In 2022-23, the Eagles went 8-22 and had the 53rd-worst winning percentage in Division I (26.7%), per HerHoopStats.

Despite only scoring 55.2 points per game (26th-lowest in the country), Coppin State did display formidable defense. It allowed just 59.9 points per contest — nearly 10 fewer than SU gave up last season — which was the 57th-best mark in the country. The Eagles were also a solid rebounding team, finishing with a 72.6% defensive rebounding rate and 39.1 total boards per game, both numbers within the top 60 in the nation.

Coppin State’s 2023-24 roster is entirely different from last season’s. Second-year head coach Jermaine Woods brought in two freshmen and six transfers, three of which — Angel Jones, Laila Lawrence and Faith Blackstone — all average over 13 points per game.

How Syracuse beats Coppin State

Syracuse’s pure offensive firepower and clear size-advantage should lead it to its third consecutive blowout victory.

The likes of Fair, Sophie Burrows and potentially Georgia Woolley, if she returns from injury, will bury the Eagles with their scoring ability. Fair got every look she wanted in the win over CCSU, and against a team that allows its opponents to shoot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc, she should stay dominant.

Through its first two games, SU has displayed a diverse cast of difference-makers. Fair, Alyssa Latham, Kyra Wood, Alaina Rice and Burrows all average double digit scoring totals. Coppin State’s new-look group hasn’t had enough time to gel to have a shot at stopping a loaded Syracuse offense.

The Orange also possess a staggering height advantage over the Eagles. SU has seven players that stand 6-foot or above, as opposed to Coppin State’s four. If SU can consistently feed its bigs while relying on Fair to carry the load from the backcourt, it will cruise to its third straight win.

Stat to know: 32.8%

Coppin State was an abysmal shooting team in 2022-23. According to HerHoopStats, its field goal percentage of 32.8% ranked second-to-last in D-I — No. 360 out of 361 programs. The Eagles missed less than 38% of their attempts from inside the arc, while converting 3-pointers at a measly 25.9% clip.

Through three games, the Eagles have shot 35.5% as a team and 22.1% from long range. If they continue to be inefficient on offense, Fair, Latham and Burrows will make them pay on the other end.

Player to watch: Angel Jones, guard, No. 11

Jones, a transfer from Siena, has made an instant impact on the Eagles. She’s quickly established herself as Coppin State’s No. 1 scoring threat, averaging a team-high 17 points per game while shooting 54.1% from the field.

Likely to matchup with Fair, Jones is Coppin State’s only option to even the output of SU’s point guard. Through three contests, Jones is 5-for-12 from deep and will need to shoot with volume and efficiency to keep up.