Syracuse basketball made the trip to Cassell Coliseum with a chance to cement their place in the ACC Tournament. But, it was the Hokies who prevailed in overtime, 101-95.
The Orange opened up the first half with another hot start. Similar to last week’s loss to Pittsburgh, Syracuse jumped out to an early double-digit lead, 22-11 over the Hokies. The Hokies cut into the lead but the Orange went into the locker room leading 47-38.
In the first half, both teams were lights out from the floor. The Orange shot 65.5% from the field, while the Hokies were just behind at 57.7%. Eddie Lampkin Jr. led Syracuse basketball with 14 points in the first half, as the graduate transfer’s dominance in the paint continued.
In the second half, the Hokies would cut into the lead again, but they were unable to cut the lead to fewer than four points until five minutes were remaining. From there the Hokies showed their ability to hang around. They took their first lead of the second half when Jaden Schutt converted on a layup with 1:22 left in regulation.
The Orange looked out of the game until Jaquan Carlos brought life back into the squad with a contested three before the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. But the free basketball was controlled by Virginia Tech, as the Hokies walked away with a 101-95 win.
Takeaway #1: Syracuse’s depth
In Saturday’s loss, head coach Adrian Autry’s rotation included nine players. However, the injury bug continues to hinder their ability to find true continuity. With freshman Elijah Moore missing the last three games with a right leg injury. Although he was listed as a game-time decision, the 6-foot-4 sharpshooter did not make an appearance in the game.
Although Moore has not played the majority of minutes at the guard position, he has proven that he can provide an energy boost to the roster. He had hit multiple three-pointers, five times this season. For a team that does not rely on the triple to win, a confident shooter can provide matchup problems for opponents.
On Saturday, both JJ Starling and Jaquan Carlos played more than 40 minutes. Starling was not extremely effective in the loss, as he added 16 points while going 5-14 from the field. Carlos however, provided one of his best performances of the season, with nine points and nine assists, which was a game-high.
If Moore returns for the Orange for the ACC Tournament, it will allow another confident shooter to fill minutes and change the point of attack for opponents on the defensive end.
Takeaway #2: The Hokies’ bench
Before Saturday, Virginia Tech relied on a game plan that heavily involved the bench. Before the win over the Orange, the Hokies were averaging 26.4 points off the bench per game. In their last two games, they have scored a total of 95 bench points including 53 points against Miami.
On Saturday the Hokies continued their dominance. They scored 47 points off the bench, highlighted by Ben Hammond and Jaden Schutt who had 21 and 20 points respectively. However, it is not always the same reserve that has stepped up for the Hokies. In the loss to Louisville on Tuesday, Brandon Rechsteiner came off the bench and had 18 points to lead all scorers.
At 8-10 in conference play, the Hokies have been better than expected. They currently sit in sole possession of the ninth seed in the ACC tournament, which will guarantee a single-bye. Their recent play has been enhanced by their ability to have someone new step up on any given night.
Takeaway #3: Syracuse’s paint dominance
Early in the season, Syracuse basketball attempted to rely on the three to keep them in games. Since then, the offensive mindset has changed. In the first three games of the season, the Orange put up an average of 22 three-point attempts. But, in the last two games the Orange have attempted 11 three-pointers on average.
After Syracuse basketball attempted 33 triples in a loss to Pitt, the style has changed and placed Jyare Davis and Eddie Lampkin as the focal points of the offense. In Saturday’s loss, Davis and Lampkin combined for 37 points, with Davis leading Syracuse with 21 points. Lampkin also picked up his 13th double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 boards.
The Orange also had 48 points in the paint to go along with 30 total rebounds, both of which eclipsed the performance of the Hokies. Although it has not directly translated to wins, a solid command of the paint can open up opportunities for shooters to make the Orange a multi-dimensional team.
Next up for Syracuse basketball (12-17, 6-12): at SMU (21-8,12-6) – Mar. 4 at 9 p.m. EST
Next up for Virginia Tech (13-16, 8-10): vs. North Carolina (19-11, 12-6) – Mar. 4 at 7 p.m. EST