After coming back from a 13 point deficit, Syracuse basketball was still unable to get past Clemson.
There was lots of promise in the second half when Syracuse basketball came out hot that they might be able to defy the odds and beat Clemson. Unfortunately for them, the shooting prowess of their former guard Joe Girard III was just too much for them to contain. The Tigers went on to beat the Orange, 77-68.
This is the second game where the Orange have played decent enough on defense to force over 20 turnovers but still couldn’t manage to come out on top. It was in the last four minutes of play that Syracuse failed to make that turnover stat count. Coach Adrian Autry voiced his frustrations over the last four minutes in his postgame presser.
“In the second half I thought we settled down, did a good job to battle back, and then the last four minutes same thing again. We didn’t execute what we needed to execute defensively,” Autry said.
This loss certainly doesn’t help any tournament hopes for the Orange, and their schedule isn’t about to get any easier either.
Takeaway #1: The Orange’s shot selection needs to be evaluated
Syracuse shot just 39% from the field on Saturday. They went 9-for-19 in layups, only scored nine fast break points and spent most of the game trailing the Tigers. In the first half, they especially struggled to score points, ending the half with just a score of 24.
Most of the team acted like they were playing for style points in that first half, shooting fadeaways and reverse layups. Coach Autry wondered postgame if any shot taken would go in.
“I don’t even know how many good shots we took the first half. Probably none of them,” Autry said.
Chris Bell, who had a career high of 30 Tuesday night, only went 4-for-13 from the field. The team’s leading scorer, Judah Mintz, went 6-for-18. Bell said he was trying to play like he normally would and wasn’t becoming frustrated.
“I just try to take my shots where I get them and be aggressive,” Bell said postgame.
The road only gets harder from here, meaning the Orange can’t shoot 39% from the field and still expect to win games. They know this, but the real question is will they do something about it?
Takeaway #2: The thinness of Syracuse’s bench reserves is showing
While Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said he thought his post players were a little rusty from not practicing much after their win against North Carolina, they still managed to dominate the Orange on the inside. Especially All-American PJ Hall.
Hall scored 15 points, snagged 10 rebounds and had three blocks. He seemed to dominate any Orange defender in his path. For Syracuse, it didn’t help that not many true post players were there to guard him.
Maliq Brown took most of the grunt work against Hall and was able to tally eight rebounds. Other post players, or guys who tried to go up against him didn’t fare as well. Bell pulled down three rebounds Justin Taylor had one and Mounir Hima didn’t have any.
Florida State transfer Naheem McLeod is out for the season after having surgery on an injured foot. Coach Autry was informed pregame that center Peter Carey, who has been playing several minutes each game, was hurt and did not plan on playing.
Brown said postgame that it did become exhausting due to the lack of post players available to the Orange.
“I definitely got tired, but it comes with that so I just got to keep working and be more focused,” Brown said.
It’s expected for players to have some bumps and bruises associated with play this late in the season, but the lack of post reserves for Syracuse is quite concerning.
Takeaway #3: Coach Brownell was frustrated by Girard’s homecoming acceptance
There are some who take the villain role and run with it, and that’s exactly what Girard did in Syracuse. Even though he says there’s no ill will towards the Orange, he took the booing and jeers from fans in stride and scored a game high of 18 points.
Coach Brownell said postgame that it was disappointing to hear fans boo Girard, who has said nothing but positive things about Syracuse during his time as a Tiger.
“Folks need to know that he loves this place tremendously, and he’s never said anything otherwise down at our place…I was a little disappointed in the boos,” Brownell said.
Girard at times shushed the crowd, who booed every time he touched the ball, after hitting some big time threes late in the game. He said postgame that it wasn’t personal though, and that’s how he goes about playing his game.
“I’m an emotional player no matter where I’m at, and had I been somewhere where they were booing me I probably would’ve done the same thing. It’s nothing personal, but I’m glad they got their fun and we had our fun,” Girard said.
Next up for Syracuse: vs. UNC (Tues., Feb. 13 – 7 p.m.)
Next up for Louisville: vs. Miami (FL) (Wed., Feb. 14 – 7 p.m.)