Syracuse students agree: SU is DEFINITELY in with a win.
Syracuse has a chance to cause a huge upset and cement their chance at a NCAA Tournament bid. However, this is not a bad loss if they don't leave Chapel Hill with the W. Syracuse had it within a few points with less than 4 minutes to go. But SU collapsed down the stretch. Cooney was the only player that showed up. Gbinije was shut down for most of the game, and Tyler Lydon only managed 2 points. Syracuse must have at least 3 players scoring. And a bonus 4th would be nice. Some combination of Cooney, Gbinije, Lydon, or Richardson must continually feed the scoreboard. Syracuse in the last game held UNC to 3-16 from the arc, but the problem was, Syracuse either couldn't score at the other end, or then allowed UNC to score inside on other possessions. Syracuse could not stop the inside scoring of UNC. I just don't see how they can do it at UNC this time either. Especially since they haven't proven to me they can do it all year. While the defense has gotten better, a quality post presence has done Syracuse in more times than not. Stopping UNC shooters is nice, but it doesn't matter if they miss a 3 when they get a rebound and an easy put back. I'd love to think SU can pull the upset here. And they can if Roberson is grabbing rebounds and SU can get stops inside. But I just don't think it's too likely on the road. I think Cooney will go off again against UNC, but again it won't matter much. I'll take UNC at home by 11. This game is available nationally on ESPN / WatchESPN at 7:00pm. I'll be in the home office. See you there.
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Preview
Pittsburgh - Syracuse Postgame Reactions or Syracuse Was Boarded
0 Comments Published on by Brian Harrison
Roberson didn't do much, but he wasn't the reason SU lost.
The stage was set for SU to make a nice stretch run. Syracuse had fallen to Pitt early in the ACC season, and Jim Boeheim wasn't at the helm. Syracuse could have gotten another conference win. Instead they fall short in a game that SU fans have seen before. Syracuse was unable to score for stretches and allowed Pitt easy access inside. Syracuse fall to Pitt at home 66 to 52.
- Tyler Lydon was the hero, earning 21 points on 8-12, 4-8 shooting. He was brilliant and frankly the only reason Syracuse kept it as close as they did.
- Michael Gbinije added 10 points, and sadly he was the only one in double digits in scoring that started for the Orange.
- DeJuan Coleman led the team with 8 rebounds. Too bad that wasn't even close to being enough.
- Story of the game was Pitt destroyed SU on the boards 43 to 23. Pitt had 29 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds.
- Syracuse shot poorly as well. Richardson was 0-6 from 3 and Cooney was 1-7. Overall, Richardson was 1-10 and Cooney was 1-9. Other than the boards, there's your game right there.
- Roberson doesn't have to score to contribute on the floor. But in 25 minutes of play, he didn't score any points and only pulled down 4 rebounds. He did look a step behind. And I have no problem with how Boeheim responded on Roberson in his presser. The people that complained are either fairweather fans who wouldn't even care if SU won the game or were having a killer season, or don't actually follow the games and only heard about it because of the coverage it got.
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Pittsburgh
NC State - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR GSenior GDay
0 Comments Published on 2.28.2016 by John Brennan
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| Well, at least one of those seniors played in this game... |
Technically, there are no must-wins in college basketball until you get to the NCAA Tournament. Because it's single-elimination. But, You've gotta get there. Which puts a certain amount of emphasis on regular season games. Particularly conference games at home late in the season. After losing two straight, Syracuse was in a position where it needed to beat North Carolina State on Saturday in order to keep the bubble talk at a safe distance. So, not a must-win, but a win-to-keep-some-heat-off-you. And on the last home game of the season, where the seniors are honored, you look to your seniors to lead the way. For the Orange, that's Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney (note: Christian White is a senior but chose to sit out this season to maintain eligibility to transfer after this season and play immediately). Cooney scored the first two points for Syracuse, and then literally disappeared for the rest of the game. Silent G, however, chose to have a career game and lead the team to victory, 75-66.
- Gbinije had a day. A Senior Day. A Career Day. His career-high 34 points came on 11-18 shooting, including an absolutely impressive 8-13 from three, and 4-6 from the line. The starting senior point guard also contributed six assists and three blocks in 39+ minutes of play.
- Look, without Gbinije, Syracuse likely loses this by a ton. From early on, it was apparent that he had the hot hand, and to the team's credit, they kept feeding him (or, as PG, he took it upon himself to create his shot).
- How important was he? Well, Syracuse had little to no inside game, especially in the first half. The Wolfpack defense was active enough and tight enough to force Syracuse into long shots. Enter: Gbinije.
- The only other double digit scorers for Syracuse were Malachi Richardson (13) and Tyler Lydon (11), both of whom have played well lately and both of whom had been shooting well in practice lately, according to Coach Boeheim. In fact, if Lydon's shots had fallen, he could have had a monster game too.
- One of eight. Whose shooting stat was that? Senior Trevor Cooney. He got lots of good looks, they just weren't falling. He was shut out from three. Three of his five points came from the line in what ended up being garbage time. He didn't even have any blocks or steals. Usually if Trevor has a down offensive game, he'll at least play amazing defense to make up for it. Not so much on Saturday.
- DaJuan Coleman battled out there, as Boeheim put it. And he did. Seven points and seven rebounds is solid, particularly for the abuse he was getting. The season's not over, but I'm thoroughly impressed with his progress and can't wait to see what he can do next year.
- How many minutes did Tyler Roberson play? 14. How many of them were in the second half? Four. He was "plugged in" for a couple plays, but otherwise was a non-factor, which led to his benching. I guess the public spanking from Boeheim didn't have the "light a fire under your ass" effect Boeheim wanted it to have.
- Syracuse did a great job of not allowing NCState to beat them, because it almost could have happened several times. I think the players recognized the importance of the game. I think the Dome crowd, which for a lot of the game was just there & taking it in, really helped to create an atmosphere to give the Orange that little bit of spark to seize the moment and not give up the lead.
And so, no more basketball in the Dome until November (God willing). Due to current standings, remaining schedules, and tie-breaking scenarios, Syracuse is looking like a lock at the 8-seed for next week's ACC Tournament. But before we get there, we'll see a game at North Carolina on Monday (for the final Big Monday of the season) and then a game at Florida State on Saturday to close out the regular season. Should be fine with a split. A sweep would be phenomenal. Dropping both would be potentially devastating. Just don't be dumb out there, Syracuse.
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Recap, Senior Day
Syracuse students agree: Thanks to the seniors playing their last home game.
It's time to put up or shut up. Syracuse is playing their final home game this season. It's against NC State, a team they should win. And if they want to make the Tournament, they need to. Less to get a good win, but more to avoid a bad loss and add to the ACC win total. Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney are playing their last home game. It should be a big deal, especially on a Saturday. And NC State is pretty easy to figure out. You need to stop one of the top players in the ACC in Anthony "Cat" Barber. He leads the ACC in scoring with 23.5ppg. If you stop him from scoring, and SU can get into an offensive rhythm it should be easy like Sunday morning. NC State brings in a nice defensive player in BeeJay Anya (Editor's Note: Seriously?!?) who leads the league in blocks. Syracuse will have to shoot well from outside to stretch the defense to allow Gbinije and others to drive inside. If Syracuse can manage good shooting days in the final Dome outing, SU will be sitting on the right side of where they want to be. Win and you say in. Lose, and it gets a little more questionable. Either way, I think Syracuse should win this game at home. I'll take the Orange by 9. This game is available regionally at 2:00pm. Check local listings here. WatchESPN if not on TV in your area. As per usual. John is in the Dome. I'm out of pocket. We'll see you on the flip side. And thanks again for your years of service, Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney.
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Preview
Syracuse students agree: Pitt isn't a must win, but it's pretty darn close.
Syracuse is in an interesting spot. The last time they faced Pittsburgh Jim Boeheim was not at the helm. Syracuse tried, but they were unable to keep Pittsburgh out of the paint and off the boards. After losing three more conference games in a row, with Boeheim back they fired off 8 wins in 9 games. Then there was the Louisville game. Will Syracuse be a better defensive and rebounding team than when the faced Pitt, or even in the last game against Louisville? They have to, because both efforts were terrible. Pittsburgh destroyed SU on the boards last time 42 to 22. Syracuse will have to try and outmuscle Pitt to the ball if they want to stay in this game. More importantly, Syracuse needs to defend the paint better than last time. Specifically, the forwards. The center will take the first man with the pass, that means the forwards need to come in and help. They didn't do that in the first 4 losses. They have since. Pittsburgh isn't going to light up the Dome hitting 3s. It is imperative that Syracuse stop good shots in the paint, and then 2nd chance points. If Syracuse can do that, I think they will be shooting well enough at home for the win. This is the biggest home game left on the schedule, so a good showing in front of the home crowd will be good for this team overall. It's simple. If Syracuse plays defense they win. If they don't, it will look like the first Pitt game, but this time in the Dome. I like SU's chances at home to grind one out. I'll take the Orange by 3. This game is available nationally on ESPN 2 / WatchESPN at 2:00pm. Both John and I will be in the Dome, along with several of our good friends so we will be having a ball. If the team comes through that would make the weekend even better. Safe travels and Go Orange!
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Pittsburgh, Preview
Syracuse - Louisville Postgame Reactions OR KFC Yuck! Center
0 Comments Published on 2.17.2016 by John Brennan
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| We don't wanna look, either, Jim. |
Exactly 52 weeks ago tonight, Louisville played Syracuse in the Dome (a game that was also the lead-in to Duke-UNC). 52 weeks ago and tonight, the home team had imposed a postseason ban amid NCAA investigations. 52 weeks ago, Syracuse shocked Louisville in the Carrier Dome. Tonight, Louisville didn't shock Syracuse, but certainly dominated almost to the point of absurdity. Especially in the second half. Syracuse loses a stinker 72-58.
- Early in the game, Louisville tried its very best to just hand the game to Syracuse. The Cardinals just couldn't score, couldn't grab a rebound, turned the ball over. Syracuse built an 18-6 lead, but a couple Louisville runs brought the Cards into the lead 23-22 with 2:45 to go in the first. The Orange gained the lead back and held it until just before the end of the half when Trey Lewis hit a (trey) to put Louisville up by one at halftime.
- In the second half, Syracuse just didn't show up. They never held the lead, and just couldn't get much of anything going on either end of the court. Louisville is a great defense, sure, but the Syracuse offense struggled in spite of it. Add that to the Cardinals shooting 55.56% in the second half and you see how impossible it would be for Syracuse to come back.
- Louisville is typically a team that will destroy Syracuse from three as a way to beat the zone. Tonight they were only 7-23 from deep -- a stat that you'd think would signal a Syracuse victory. But despite not being as big or as physical inside as past Cardinal teams have been, they were able to create some great shots and great scoring opportunities inside against the zone -- as in, 50 points in the paint. There were several monster alley-oops, and Louisville dominated the offensive boards (14) leading to 17 second chance points.
- Trevor Cooney, Michael Gbinije, and Malachi Richardson all had double digit points for the Orange, with Cooney having the best performance of the three. Gbinije played very frustratingly, missing a dunk and a couple bunnies, turning the ball over three times, and causing me to yell at my TV so much my neighbors must think I'm insane.
- Tyler Lydon didn't have a good game, and despite the poor play, Boeheim kept him in for 31 minutes. DaJuan Coleman only saw 18 minutes, and one could argue he was a more effective presence out there. But oh well, it's not like that was the difference in the game.
- Frank Howard got 23 minutes, and was able to dish out six assists. Boeheim noted postgame that Frank needs to learn to create more scoring opportunities for himself, but that'll come with more experience. It was good for him to get a feel of a tough conference road game like this.
- Tyler Roberson was not plugged in tonight.
The next two games for Syracuse are at home to close out the Dome schedule: Saturday against Pittsburgh, and the following Saturday against NC State. A sweep would be huge for Syracuse, taking them to 20 season wins and 10 conference wins. Win those, and steal one at either North Carolina or Florida State to close the regular season, and you figure Syracuse is an NCAA lock. Lose one or both of the remaining home games and you figure Syracuse solidly reestablishes itself back on the NCAA bubble. I personally expect the home sweep and at least one road win, so I'm not too worried. See you in the Dome on Saturday for an Orange::44 reunion with Brian!
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Recap
Syracuse students agree: Postseason bans are never fun.
Syracuse travels to Louisville tonight as the appraiser to Duke-UNC on ESPN. That's all well and good, but it seems that Louisville is a team struggling to deal with the self-imposed posteason ban the University handed down. They've lost 3 of their last 5 games, and the schedule doesn't get easier for them down the stretch. At least for now though, the team is ranked 18 and Syracuse is the underdog coming in. Louisville's offensive threat comes from a pair of transfers in Damion Lee and Trey Lewis. Both shoot around 44% overall and 37% from long range. Stopping these two will go a long way in SU completing another upset. Honestly, I'm not worried that Gbinije will score, or that Richardson or Lydon will as well. I'm not worried that Cooney will get going again and make a bunch of 3s. I am only worrying about defense and turnovers. If Syracuse can stop Lee and Lewis, or at least prevent them from going off, and take care of the ball, they should win this one even if it's close. Louisville likes to pressure the ball, so if having Gbinije or Cooney take charge of getting the ball down the court than SU will need to do that, but preventing easy buckets for Louisville is a must. Additionally, keeping the rebounding close will also help SU. Louisville is missing center Mangok Mathiang, so Lydon, Coleman, and especially Roberson just need to do their job and they should pull some down. If SU defends well, and creates some turnovers of their own, SU should have a fine outing. If they let L'ville score at will, SU will have a hard time getting back into the game, especially of they encounter an offensive drought at any point. Either way, I think Louisville is letting their postseason ban affect them a lot more than SU did last year. I think SU is playing too well right now, and Louisville is trending in the wrong direction. I'll take the Orange in an upset by 5. This game is available nationally on ESPN / WatchESPN at 7:00pm. John will be watching. I'll be out of pocket tonight. So enjoy!
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Louisville Sucks, Preview
Syracuse - Boston College Postgame Reactions OR Just Another Home Game
0 Comments Published on by Brian Harrison
Tyler Lydon was the MVP for SU.
It's no secret that the BC Basketball team isn't great. It's even less of a secret that BC students and fans don't go to see BC Basketball play. So in front of about 6,000 Syracuse fans from far, but mostly near, Syracuse swept Boston College 75 to 61.
- Lydon finished with 20 points on 8-12, 2-4 shooting. He had a few slams, and obviously the two big 3 pointers in transition. And it seemed like the 20 points snuck up on this viewer. But it certainly mattered.
- Michael Gbinije added 17 points of his own on 5-8, 4-6 shooting. He also had 4 assists and 3 steals. He continues to be very consistent overall for the Orange.
- Malachi Richardson hasn't cooled off yet, earning 15 points. While not shooting well overall, only making 4-13, he was 3-7 from behind the line and 4-4 from the free throw line. It was a classic case of someone trying to do to much himself when BC took the lead early in the second half.
- Cooney disappeared in the first half of this one, but he made up for it with a few big shots and 12 points. He was 3-9, 2-5 shooting and 4-4 on free throws.
- Tyler Roberson had only 9 points but he had 6 rebounds, to tie Tyler Lydon.
- Syracuse only had 8 turnovers in the game, a vast improvement from the last few games.
- Congratulations to Matt Milon, the latest player to come out of nowhere and torch SU for a career high. He finished with 25 points for BC in the losing effort.
- BC Coach Jim Christian gave the excuse that BC lacks depth and that's why once BC took the lead they couldn't hold onto it. SU played with only 7, compared to BC's 8, and Milon came off the bench and wasn't a starter, much like Tyler Lydon. Draw your own conclusions as to the veracity of that excuse.
- Syracuse used a 20-4 run in the second half to put away Boston College. After that, the game was never in doubt and BC never came close in the final 10 minutes of the game.
- Syracuse overall shot 46.2% from the floor and 47.8% (11-23) from behind the arc. However, most impressive was SU going 16-18 (88.9%) from the free throw line.
- Boston College was outrebounded 31 to 25.
- Boston College has't won an ACC game this season.
Labels: ACC, Basketball
Syracuse students agree: Boston College still isn't in Boston.
Syracuse just played 4 games at home in the Dome. But now they are venturing back out on the road to take on the Eagles of Boston College. Syracuse topped BC in the Dome a month ago, winning 62 to 40, holding the Eagles to one of the lowest scores ever recorded by an opponent in the Dome. The Eagles are not a very good basketball team, but that night in particular, both teams didn't score very well. However, Syracuse's Zone confused and befuddled BC enough that they had no idea how to take the ball inside. BC settled for taking 26 three point attempts, making only 6. Syracuse struggled at scoring too however, which is why Syracuse didn't end up winning by like 30 or 40 points. Syracuse has played much better offense in the half court since they last faced BC. Not only has DeJuan Coleman stepped up his game considerably, but typically we haven't seen more than one player have an off night in the last few games. Come out and play good defense, and Syracuse shouldn't have any trouble in this one. Eli Carter, BC's best offensive threat, only managed to score 13 points against the Orange in the last game. No other BC player broke into double digits. While BC may make a few more 3s this time around, I'm pretty sure their young team, nor their coach have figured out how to really do much against this 2-3 Zone. You know, other than try and shoot over it. Luckily, Syracuse still has the best three point defenses in the ACC. That should come in handy tonight. And again lead to some easy buckets at the other end for SU's transition game. I'd look for Gbinije and Richardson to lead the way in scoring, and Roberson to be huge on the boards again. BC may start strong, but should easily fade in the 2nd half again. I like the Orange by 17. This game is available regionally on The ACC Network at 1:00pm. Check your local listings. For those not blacked out, which is the majority of you, you can catch it online at WatchESPN. BC sucks and always will. And Happy Valentine's Day to all of you out there.
Labels: ACC, Basketball, BC Sucks, Preview
Florida State - Syracuse Recap OR A Beautiful Day in Syracuse
0 Comments Published on 2.12.2016 by John Brennan
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| Prepping for a free throw? No, giving God a high five. |
When asked a question about 22,000 fans still coming out for the game despite the weather (and, I was there, and the actual number was a lot less), Jim Boeheim remarked that it was a beautiful day in Syracuse. It's a great presser, check it out. Despite the questionable weather, and Syracuse's seeming inability to clean its streets, one could honestly say it was a beautiful day in Syracuse. After a nine-day layoff, Syracuse showed no signs of rust, played great offense, mostly good defense, and by and large dominated a team in Florida State which was pretty evenly matched. The 42-39 score at halftime wasn't representative of how a Syracuse victory was never seriously in doubt; the Orange beat the Seminoles 85-72.
- Great offense can be defined a few different ways: four players in double-digit scoring (with two others one & two points away, respectively); shooting 62% from the field; shooting 47.1% from three; doing all that while committing 20 turnovers. Yeah, that last part is shocking, and led to 28 FSU points off turnovers. And Syracuse still won by 13.
- This game was classic badass Michael Gbinije -- he played without a care in the world, he was just going to do his thing and nobody was gonna stop him. I mean, the rim may have blocked a dunk attempt or two, but otherwise, he just did what he wanted. And he had 22 points to show for it.
- DaJuan Coleman's stat line doesn't jump out at you like he had a great game, but his eight points and three rebounds in 21 minutes were huge. He was active on defense, and seemed really confident with the ball. Once, he drove from the top of the key and put the ball in the hoop. He also had an assist. I repeat: DaJuan Coleman had an assist. And it was super pretty. I may have stood up and cheered for it.
- Tyler Lydon showed a lot more poise and maturity out there, and it showed in the stats: 15 points on 5-7 shooting (1-2 from three) along with ten rebounds for a double double in 21 minutes. If there was ever a perfect balance to get the most out of Coleman & Lydon in the same game, this was it.
- Malachi Richardson continues to play smarter than a freshman. He was the offensive spark early in the game, and ended with 17 points on 6-10 shooting. We all held our breath when Mali went down at the baseline with an apparent leg injury, but he ultimately walked off the court on his own power, reentered the game a bit later, and was back to his normal self. Hopefully nothing to worry about going forward.
- Say what you will about the Seminoles, but they wouldn't give up in this game. Late in the first half when the Syracuse defense let up a little bit (complacency?) FSU took full advantage and closed the gap to that 3-point halftime margin. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't keep it that way after the break.
- Florida State has a player named Dwayne Bacon. I'm sure you've heard of him. He's a pretty good player, and played pretty well against Syracuse. And, to my credit, I only made one bacon joke:
"That one sizzled out," I said, of a missed Bacon free throw.— John Brennan (@jbren) February 12, 2016
At any rate, this was an impressive win for Syracuse. Yes, you need to win the toss up games at home, but to do it this way, this team just looked downright good. This should bide well going into Chestnut Hill on Sunday, where just a few days ago North Carolina struggled to beat BC. But UNC is just struggling right now, period. BC sucks and always will, but Syracuse can't beat themselves.
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Recap
Syracuse students agree: Keeping the streak alive is important to stay in the NCAA hunt.
Syracuse ends their 4 game home stand tonight in the Dome, as the blustery cold of Central New York welcomes the Florida State Seminoles. This is a team with a very interesting makeup. They are led by freshman guards Dwayne Bacon and Malik Beasley, who score 17.3 and 16.2 points per game respectively. Stopping these two will be imperative to Syracuse winning the game. Interestingly, FSU has a 7'3'' player in Boris Bojanovsky. However he shouldn't be much of a scoring threat. As long as SU rotates in players at the center position and no one player gets into foul trouble, I like the Zone to keep FSU at bay and prevent Bacon and Beasley from getting to the basket too much. FSU is not known as a heavy 3 point shooting team. They average 6.3 made 3s a game. However, Syracuse has been playing much better defense as of late. I think FSU will struggle to score late in this game. I like Syracuse in the Dome by 13. This game is available nationally on ESPN / WatchESPN at 7:00pm. John will be in the Dome. I'll be in the Home Office. Should be fun for all ages.
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Preview
Virginia Tech - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Comeback City!
0 Comments Published on 2.04.2016 by Brian Harrison
And just like that, the game was tied.
I didn't think they'd do it. With 1:32 to go, Malachi Richardson hit a 3 to make it a 4 point game. Then Tyler Lydon dunked, making it a 2 point game. VTech added a free throw, but it was Michael Gbinije that hit the clutch shot above, deep for even an NBA 3. That tied the game with 26 seconds left. VTech was unable to score again and the game went to overtime. Syracuse would go on to get their first lead of the game and outscore VTech 12-4 in the OT. Syracuse wins a much needed game at home over Virginia Tech in overtime 68 to 60.
- There were three monster shots made late in the game. First, Gbinije above tying the game to send it to overtime. Then Trevor Cooney hit another deep 3 in overtime. Then, for good measure, Richardson added a big 3 basically to ice the game.
- Gbinije had a game high 17 points on 6-13, 2-6 shooting.
- Richardson and Lydon each had 13 points. Lydon also had 6 rebounds and for the 3rd game in a row Lydon drilled a 3 to end the first half for Syracuse. The last 2 games as time expired. Lydon was also a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.
- Tyler Roberson added another double-double. He had 12 points, but more importantly he had 15 rebounds. An excellent night for him.
- DeJuan Coleman only had 3 points and 6 rebounds, but he played some great defense in the overtime once Tyler Lydon fouled out.
- Syracuse outrebounded VTech 44 to 37.
- Virginia Tech, of course, shot better than Syracuse in the game. 39.7% to 38.5%. But VTech and SU did flip flop what normally happens for Virginia Tech. SU shot 32 free throws and made 20. VTech only took 13 and made 7.
- This was the first game that Syracuse actually came back in, and then closed it out when they needed to. This was a game SU needed to win to stay on the right side of the NCAA bubble.
- Jim Boeheim is now 7-3 against Buzz Williams, winning all the games against Williams at the helm of VTech, and 4 in a row overall.
Labels: ACC, Basketball
Syracuse students agree: Gotta keep the win streak alive.
Buzz buzz. The Yellow Jackets have left, but a different Buzz returns to the Carrier Dome. Buzz Williams, at the helm of Virginia Tech, comes in trying to end their 4 game losing streak. Syracuse has put in some solid games as of late, but Syracuse needs to win the games they're supposed to. This is another one of those games. It also helps Syracuse is playing at home. Virginia Tech is not a powerhouse team. So Syracuse should take care of business by making shots. Virginia Tech likes to drive and get it done at the free throw line. Which means that they will be attacking Coleman and/or Lydon. That means it is imperative for Syracuse to get a comfortable lead on offense so that Chinonso Obokoh can come in and take some fouls and not worry about stalling on offense from the inside. Keying on Seth Allen on defense will also help the Orange. While, only being an above average scorer usually, he has exploded in the last two games, adding 26 and 28 points in the last two outings. But all that aside, I expect any combination of Gbinije, Cooney, Richardson, or Lydon to continue the good shooting. Virginia Tech isn't known for their stellar defense. And I would think that SU will add a few baskets in transition for good measure. I'll take the Orange again at home by 12. This game is available regionally on the ACC Network at 8:00pm. Check your local listings here. Check if you're blacked out here. Otherwise, the game is available on The ACC website here. I can't get the game on TV so I'll be way behind. We'll catch you on the flipside.
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Preview
Georgia Tech - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR They Finally Closed One Out
0 Comments Published on by Brian Harrison
Syracuse was finally able to hold on and finish the game with a win.
Syracuse has struggled in the early half of the schedule to finish out games. Syracuse should have beaten Clemson earlier, but were unable to hold in in regulation and ended up losing in overtime. This time however, SU was able to keep the lead and win as regulation expired. SU was the winner over Georgia Tech 60 to 57.
- Michael Gbinije was the leading scorer for the Orange with a game high 16 points. He was 5-10, 2-5 from the floor and 4-5 from the free throw line. He also added 3 assists and 3 steals.
- Malachi Richardson started out slow, but he finished with 13 points on 4-10, 1-4 shooting. He also added 4-8 from the free throw line and 7 rebounds. He made a clutch free throw to get the lead to three points, but he could have iced the game if he made one more.
- DeJuan Coleman had another pretty good game, making a few post moves and banking the ball in off the glass. He was 4-5 from the floor.
- Tyler Roberson didn't have the best offensive game, but he did pick up an SU high eight rebounds.
- The officiating in this game was maybe the worst SU has seen this season. At the very least, it was the worst officiating in the Dome this year. Unfortunate.
- SU was outrebounded in this game 40-35.
- Georgia Tech was 5-18 from the floor, while SU was 6-18.
Labels: ACC, Basketball