Syracuse basketball took down Notre Dame, 88-85 at the Dome on Saturday, holding onto what was, at one point, a 29-point lead.
Spirits were high at the JMA Wireless Dome as thousands gathered for Jim Boeheim Day, a day dedicated to the career of one of college basketball’s winningest coaches. Mike Tirico returned to his alma mater to serve as the master of ceremonies, and tribute videos from college basketball personalities including Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, and Roy Williams played on the jumbotron during stoppages.
On the court, Syracuse basketball saw all five of their starters score in double digits. Sophomore Judah Mintz led the way with 21 points, his highest total in three games. Notre Dame’s Markus Burton had a stellar afternoon, dropping 28 points on 50% shooting and adding 8 assists.
The Orange were able to pick up an ACC win to honor their former head coach and improve to 9-8 in conference play.
Takeaway #1: “Cardiac ‘Cuse” Was In Full Effect
Only fitting for an exciting finish on Jim Boeheim Day, right?
Syracuse is a team of runs, this we know. The first-half showing was tremendous, all five starters getting involved and shooting at a 60.6% clip en route to a 49-point effort. Notre Dame could only muster 29 points, unable to find a groove early on against a stout Orange defense. With just over two minutes until halftime, Syracuse led by 29.
That’s why a three-point victory is so unsettling, continuing the team’s most disappointing trend.
Head coach Adrian Autry has preached all season that this team needs to be able to prolong a strong performance for an entire 40 minutes. Against Niagara, Syracuse allowed a 19-point lead to get cut to single digits. Against Duke, the Orange let a 2-point halftime deficit turn into a 20-point defeat.
When this team is clicking, they are one of the best teams in the ACC. Sophomore Chris Bell has really come into his own in these past six games, shooting with a newfound confidence that has cemented him as one of the best 3-point shooters in the conference. Mintz and JJ Starling are elite finishers around the rim, and Starling has found his stroke in the second half of the season. Maliq Brown continues to show up in a big way, stuffing the stat sheet while Syracuse tries to remedy their center position.
The biggest hurdle for this team is consistency. If they can finish the remainder of their games as strong as they start them, they will be a nightmare matchup in the ACC Tournament.
Takeaway #2: Markus Burton & Braeden Shrewsberry are future ACC stars
The former Indiana Mr. Basketball’s 28 points are the most Burton has scored since the season opener against Niagara (29), but this performance is a massive eye-opener for conference foes next season.
The 5-11 guard was electric, shooting 50% from the field, and came up with some huge buckets in the second half. 20 of Burton’s 28 points came after halftime, a crucial part of Notre Dame’s comeback. He also finished with eight assists, many of which set up freshman Braeden Shrewsberry toward the end.
Shrewsberry has had his ups and downs this year, but his past two games have shown Irish fans what they can expect in the years to come. His ability to move off-ball for a catch-and-shoot opportunity will be lethal once he goes through another Division I offseason training, but the freshman also shows tremendous promise with his pullup jumper. In these last two games, Shrewsberry is 13-for-20 from deep.
Notre Dame was never able to get going this season, and a lot of factors play into that. The program has struggled for the past few seasons, head coach Micah Shrewsberry just took over this year, and there was plenty of roster turnover during the offseason (Starling was one of those ND transfers). But coach Shrews is a brilliant basketball mind. In an offseason or two, the Fighting Irish will be a competitive ACC team.
Building around Burton and Shrewsberry is the key to success.
Takeaway #3: Syracuse Needs a LOT to go right…
Tirico called out ESPN’s Joe Lunardi during the postgame ceremony: “Syracuse is still on the bubble. Don’t worry.”
The Orange are talented. The Orange has “spark plug ability,” being able to go on runs in the blink of an eye. But this team is not on the bubble and has not been for some time.
Syracuse has beaten #7 North Carolina but was demolished by 36 points in Chapel Hill when the two teams first met. The Orange beat BC, then lost to BC. They lost to Georgia Tech. They lost to Clemson.
They have also beaten Oregon and put up a good fight against Tennessee (the final score does not tell the full story of that game).
It would be an uncomfortable conversation for the NCAA Tournament Committee if they gave Syracuse an at-large nod. Their wins are good, but their losses are troubling. It isn’t clear whether or not Syracuse’s resume justifies a spot on the bubble.
Now, winning out and going on a run in the ACC Tournament would change that. Syracuse will probably need two or three wins to make a case, and they will also need teams like Seton Hall and Texas A&M to do poorly in their respective tournaments.
The fate of the Orange is likely not in their hands. All they can do is give the committee something to think about.
Next game for Syracuse: vs. Virginia Tech (Tues., Feb. 27 – 7 p.m.)
Next game for Notre Dame: vs. Wake Forest (Tues., Feb. 27 – 9 p.m.)