In a must-win game, Syracuse basketball (12-8, 3-4 ACC) got purely outmatched by Miami (16-4, 5-2 ACC) 85-76 in a game where they didn’t lead for a single second.
Both teams came in on a 2-game losing skid, so the desperation and intensity were high from the opening tip. The Hurricanes got off to an 11-2 lead early in the first half and never looked back, leading by as many as 13 in the second half.
Despite shooting nearly 50% as a team and forcing 16 turnovers, the Orange were never able to take control of the game. This was largely due to hot shooting from Miami, who shot 61% as a team, and getting outrebounded 37-21.
“I thought we got extended, and Miami is a big physical team,” head coach Adrian Autry said. “They send three guys to the rim. I think us being extended gave up our inside position, and that’s how they got so many second shots.”
“Our rebounding as a whole just has to get better,” big man William Kyle said. “They were really aggressive on the offensive glass. We need to do a better job of locating the guys that are going to crash.”
Kyle still finished the day with 10 points and 4 rebounds to go along with it, one of five players for the Orange to score in double figures.
Donnie Freeman had a nice bounce-back game, finishing with a team-high 14 points on 7-11 shooting. Naithan George had strong contributions as well, adding 13 points himself to go along with 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
One bright spot for Syracuse basketball tonight was the play of freshman standout Kiyan Anthony off the bench. Anthony finished the day with 13 huge points off the bench, with multiple high-energy plays, including an electric dunk in transition that got the JMA Wireless Dome crowd on their feet.
Despite having positive moments in Saturday afternoon’s contest, the Orange are now on a 3-game losing streak, tied for their longest of the season. With head coach concerns looming and boo birds coming from the crowd, it’s entering make-or-break territory for Syracuse basketball, as they face an uphill battle to try and avoid missing the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season.
“Basketball is a game of runs. You’re going to have your ups, and you’re going to have your downs,” Freeman said. “We’re going to come back up at some point; we just have to stay together. That’s the biggest thing, us staying together and staying positive.”
Syracuse basketball understands what’s at stake at this point in the season. There is a lot of basketball left to be played, but the time is now to hopefully turn their season around.
“Big sense of urgency,” Anthony said. “There’s no time off. 3 losses in a row is uncalled for, especially for a team like us. We know our talent, and we know what we’re capable of. We just have to regroup and find our identity and flip the script for the rest of the season.”
For the Hurricanes, big man Malik Reneau finished the contest with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 rebounds, doing whatever he wanted against the Orange defense.
Syracuse basketball now turns its focus towards N.C. State in Raleigh on Tuesday night. With very little margin for error down the stretch of the season, the Orange are aiming towards stacking results rather than moments if they want to turn what appears to be a lost season into something special.