The Virginia Cavaliers put a beatdown on the Syracuse Orange
CHARLOTTESVILLE, V.A. (CBB REVIEW) – Although the start looked promising, Syracuse failed to keep going in a tough loss to Virginia. Isaac McKneely and company were too much for the Orange to handle in an intense environment.
Syracuse struggled to take care of the ball, resulting in 14 turnovers. It seemed as if every Syracuse turnover resulted in an easy bucket for the Cavaliers, really hurting the Orange down the stretch.
The game ended in an 84-62 victory for Virginia who continued to show why their defense is second to none and a real force in the ACC Conference.
Takeaway #1: Isaac McKneely is worth the price of admission alone
The kid from small town Poca, W.V. is the real deal when it comes to putting up threes. He’s the most exciting player I’ve seen in a long time.
McKneely went 6-8 from behind the arc and scored a career high of 22 points, getting the crowd on their feet after every one of them.
“I just kept letting them fly and they were falling,” McKneely said postgame.
He’s up 50% from three, which is a huge improvement from his 39% stat from last season.
McKneely says he’s worked harder this season and has tried to do whatever he can to “perfect my craft.”
Takeaway #2: Syracuse defense has got to improve
In their defense, the Cavaliers are a very talented team and their performance offensively was great today. The Orange didn’t make it hard though.
Naheem McLeod and Chris Bell each tallied two defensive rebound a piece. That won’t suffice when playing teams like Virginia, who outrebounded the Orange on the defensive end.
It never seemed like anyone was giving McKneely any sort of fight off the ball. Most of the shots he took today were wide open.
Why the Orange didn’t take note of his success today is concerning, but after after watching the tape, they’ll have to realize it’s an issue.
Takeaway #3: We shouldn’t count the Orange out just yet
Today’s game was a tough watch for Orange fans, especially when they had the Cavaliers in the majority of the first half.
We all have to remember how early in the season it is though, and there’s still time for the Orange to improve.
“It’s the early part of the season,” coach Adrian Autry said, “we still have a lot of games left. We got to put this game behind us and get ready for our next opponent.”
If Syracuse is able to do just that, they’ll be able to come out of this a stronger, more experienced squad.
Next game for the Syracuse Orange: vs. Cornell (Dec. 5 – 8 p.m.)
Next game for the Virginia Cavaliers: vs. NC Central (Dec. 5 – 7 p.m.)