Syracuse basketball began its first west coast trip in the ACC at Maples Pavilion in a meeting with Stanford.
Stanford began the game on a 25-2 run in the first nine minutes. While everything clicked for the Cardinal in the first few minutes of the contest, Syracuse did not abandon all hope. After trailing by 23, the Orange responded, going on a 20-4 run to cut the lead to just seven. At the end of the first half, Syracuse basketball trailed Stanford 33-24.
Maxime Raynaud was the only player to reach double figures in the first half, as he put up 11 points. The Orange relied on a more platoon style of attack, with six players in the scoring column.
The second half was a back-and-forth game that did not feature the same runs that were seen in the first half. But Stanford kept Syracuse at arms-length for the majority of the second half. With four minutes remaining, the Orange cut the lead to six points. But in the end, the Cardinal won their fourth straight game, beating the Orange 70-61.
Takeaway #1: Turnovers
Syracuse basketball has struggled this season with turning the ball over. To this point in the season, the Orange are averaging 12.4 turnovers per game, which is the third most in the conference. In Wednesday’s loss, the Orange turned the ball over 14 times, five of which came during Stanford’s 25-2 run to open the game.
While 12.4 turnovers per game rank the Orange outside of the top 225 in the country, it is the turnover margin that has truly been the problem. Currently, Syracuse basketball is only forcing 9.8 turnovers per game, which places them 335th in the country. With a large disparity like this, points off turnovers have played a factor in Syracuse’s struggles.
At Maples Pavilion, the Cardinal scored 19 points off turnovers. While this was not the only reason the Orange fell in Northern California there is a recognizable trend. Syracuse basketball has lost the points off turnover battle 16 times this season, in those games they are 5-11. When they win the battle they are 4-1.
Takeaway #2: Maxime Raynaud
Maxime Raynaud has transformed into one of the best players not only in the ACC but in the country. Last season, as a junior, Raynaud earned the honor of Most Improved Player in the Pac 12. This season, Raynaud is in the conversation to win the ACC Player of the Year, both Raynaud and Cooper Flagg have earned ACC Player of the Week honors three times.
In the first half, the 7-foot-1 forward earned his 17th double-double of the season, with 11 points and 11 rebounds. By the end of the game, he had 21 points, and 15 rebounds and led the team with three assists. While Syracuse basketball’s front court might not be the most worthy opponent, the conference is taking notice of Raynaud’s success.
As of now, Raynaud is still the only player in the ACC who is averaging over 20 points, and he improved on that in Wednesday’s win with 25. He is also in line to win the rebounding title with 11.7 rebounds per game. This would mark the first time that a single player has led the conference in both categories since Marvin Bagley did it in the 2017-2018 season.
Takeaway #3: Syracuse basketball’s troubles away from home
Syracuse basketball has seen its fair share of struggles when they are not in the JMA Wireless Dome. On the season, eight of their nine wins have come on their home floor, with a win over Boston College at Conte Forum being their lone road victory.
Yes, it is difficult to go on the road in the ACC, especially to the West Coast where Stanford is undefeated in conference play. But Syracuse basketball has not had a road record above .500 since the 2019-20 season. This has also been a trend across the ACC as a whole, with only four teams having a winning record on the road this season.
The Orange have five more road games ahead of them, including Saturday’s trip to Haas Pavilion when they take on California. If they can find a way to flip the script they will likely find themselves playing in Charlotte in the ACC tournament.
Up next for Syracuse basketball (9-12, 3-7): at California (11-10, 4-6) – Feb. 1 at 10 p.m. EST
Up next for Stanford (15-6, 7-3): at SMU (16-5, 7-3) – Feb. 1 at 3:00 p.m. PST