Syracuse Basketball Erases 17 Point Deficit, Defeats Notre Dame: 3 Takeaways

Syracuse basketball welcomed the Fighting Irish into the JMA Wireless Dome looking to avoid getting swept by Notre Dame on the season. 

The Orange got off to an ice-cold start, missing their first five attempts. For the Fighting Irish, it was a completely different story. Notre Dame jumped out to an 11-0 lead before Jyare Davis knocked home a triple to allow the Syracuse faithful to take their seats. In the first half, Notre Dame led by as many as 17 points, but a few timely buckets from Kyle Cuffe Jr.and Elijah Moore cut the lead to 9 at halftime, as the Irish led 42-33. 

In that first half, Notre Dame was led by Markus Burton, who had 22 points. Up until 4:28 to play in the first half, Burton was outscoring the Orange 22-21. 

At the start of the second half, the Orange rode the momentum that they created in the final few minutes of the first. Syracuse basketball cut the lead to just two points early in the second half. But Notre Dame dominated the painted area and kept the Orange at arm’s length until Eddie Lampkin put back his miss, to give the Orange their first lead at 67-65. 

From there, a double-technical foul issued against Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry would seal the game as Cuffe hit all four attempts from the charity line. The 77-69 win moves Syracuse back to .500 on the season, and to 3-4 in ACC play.

Takeaway #1: Eddie Lampkin Jr. 

The graduate transfer from Colorado came into Saturday’s matchup on a good run of play, with three consecutive double-doubles. But in the first half the Orange offense, which has played through Lampkin over the last few games, resorted to attacking the defense from behind the arc. Lampkin finished the first half with only three points, all of which came from the free-throw line.  

But in the second half, Lampkin was the catalyst for the Orange comeback. Lampkin picked up his fourth consecutive double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Before making the trip to Syracuse for his graduate season in college basketball, Lampkin was not considered to be a traditional big man. Although his size matches up well with other premiere big men in the ACC, it was his passing ability that set him apart. 

With Donnie Freeman being out of the lineup, Lampkin has responded in a positive way to help his team. 

“I mean my role hasn’t really changed. I just feel like I’m just playing my game. I started off a little slow, but I feel like I’m back to being myself. It doesn’t matter if Donnie is on the court or not,” Lampkin said following the win. 

If Lampkin can continue his solid play, his paint presence will make the Orange a multidimensional team in conference play.

Takeaway #2: Notre Dame’s Backcourt

Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry make up one of the most dynamic backcourts in the ACC. With Burton leading the team in points per game at 19.8, his impact on the floor is obvious. In the first half of the loss to Syracuse, Burton had 22 points, which led all scorers. However, in the second half, the Orange slowed down the sophomore guard as he finished the game with 28 points. 

On the other side of the backcourt, Braeden Shrewsberry has been one of the most lethal shooters from behind the arc in the ACC. He is averaging just under three triples per game, and in his 18 games this season, he has made a three in 16 of them. At 37% he is fourth in the conference in three-point percentage. Also when the Orange traveled to Purcell Pavilion, he scored a season-high 25 points with six makes from deep. 

If both Burton and Shrewsberry remain healthy, they have the individual talent to carry the Fighting Irish into the ACC tournament. 

Takeaway #3: Syracuse’s Defense

Syracuse basketball has had its problems on the defensive end. So far this season, the Orange are ranked second to last in the ACC in defensive scoring, at 77.6 points per game. The first half was a perfect example of this. While the Fighting Irish were very hot from the floor, dominating on all three levels, the Orange did not have a response for Markus Burton. 

According to Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry, it was the first 10 minutes of the game where they struggled. The first half saw Syracuse fall behind by 17, including an 11-0 run to start the game for the Fighting Irish. However, he was happy with how the team responded late in the first half and for the entire second half.

The second half was a completely different story. The Orange held Notre Dame to just 27 points, and while the Irish have the fourth-best three-point percentage in the ACC, they did not make a triple in the final 20 minutes of the contest. The Orange also held the Irish to just four points in the final five minutes of the game, which ultimately led to the win. 

With the Orange giving up a near season-low 27 points in a single half to Notre Dame might feel like an outlier, it is something to build off of. 

Up next for Syracuse (9-9, 3-4): at Clemson (13-4, 5-1) – Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.

Up next for Notre Dame (8-10, 2-5): at Virginia (8-10, 1-6) – Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m.