What new drama awaits us tonight as the Syracuse Orange (13-11, 4-7) host the California Golden Bears (17-7, 5-6). Tip-off is at 7:00 on ESPNU with Jay Alter and Randolph Childress on the call. This is the third time the programs have met in New York, but the first time in Syracuse.

Here’s what we’re predicting:

Kevin: California 79, Syracuse 78

Tyler Betsey gets hot in the first half and Adrian Autry starts him in the second. Betsey’s shooting opens up the lane for the Orange guards and William Kyle benefits with some lobs and offensive rebounds. Cal runs a play in the final minute to get Chris Bell a look and because we can’t have nice things it hits the back rim, front rim and drops in to give Cal the win. Fans flood the comments to bemoan Autry letting Bell leave.

Dom: Syracuse 77, California 70

The Golden Bears are very much a hot and cold team. In just the last few weeks, they upset UNC, then lost to Florida State two games later, then narrowly beat Miami before barely squeaking by Georgia Tech. The hope, and my prediction, is ‘Cuse gets Cal on the right day for the Orange. Cal’s lack of frontcourt defense allows Donnie Freeman to bounce back while William Kyle has a strong performance, while the Orange’s guards play 85% as well as it did against UVA to match what the Golden Bears have on the perimeter.

Szuba: Syracuse 78, Cal 77

Cal has been competitive on the road this season. The Golden Bears shoot it well from three and the defense is fair to good. But, Cal is a perimeter-oriented team that wants to shoot outside the paint and doesn’t rebound well. I’ll take the Orange to get back on track (against a limited frontcourt) as Freeman and Kyle do the same.

Max: Syracuse 72, California 66

A common trend across the major sports holds true for Cal as well: it struggles when traveling to the East Coast (1-3). On top of that, this is a very favorable matchup for the Orange, whose defense and rebounding advantage should keep the Golden Bears off the scoreboard more often than not. Unless Chris Bell goes nuclear from three, which is definitely a possibility given the way this season is going, I like SU to snap its two-game skid in front of the Dome crowd.

What’s your prediction for this one?