Five Takeaways: Syracuse 76 Florida State 67
Syracuse basketball picked up its fifth road win of the season with a 76-67 triumph at Florida State on Wednesday. Here are five takeaways from the victory.
1. Chris Bell
The Syracuse freshman forward may have been just 1-9 from three, most of which were great looks, but Bell still had one of his most complete games of his young career. Bell had six rebounds, a career high, to go along with really physical defense. Bell was outstanding defensively, especially in the second half. He has shot the ball well from the outside all season. If he gets those shots, in most games he will make at least three or four of them. It was just an off shooting night. Still, he got to the free throw line, scored 10 points, was a factor on the boards and defensively. A really encouraging effort as he continues to develop.
2. Judah Mintz
Mintz struggled in the first half but over the last 13 minutes was the best player on the floor. He was active defensively, and attacked the rim several times. Each time he either scored or was fouled or both. Of his 16 points on the night, 14 came in those final 13 minutes as Florida State had no answer for his driving ability. Mintz was aggressive and in attack mode, but played under control. He continues to mature before our eyes. If he comes back next season, look out.
3. Benny Williams
Williams' stat line will not look overly impressive at two points, three rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes off the bench. However, he was +11 in those 18 minutes thanks in part to strong defensive play. Williams was engaged, active and made the Orange better on that end of the floor. I think it says a lot about the kid after the whole personal day situation.
4. Adjustments
Jim Boeheim often gets criticized for being stubborn, never making adjustments and running no offensive system. If one is going to criticize when things do not go well, one has to be able to acknowledge the opposite when things do go well. This was a tale of two halves. Florida State shot over 42% from the field in the first half, made four of its final six three pointers and dominated the glass with a +8 advantage. Syracuse, on the other hand, shot just 37% and scored only 29 points. In the second, Syracuse was +13 on the boards, shot 53% and scored 47 points. Florida State shot 35% and was just 4-17 from beyond the arc. Syracuse was much more aggressive on the boards and physical defensively. Jesse Edwards did not come up on the man in the high post but instead stayed back a bit. That prevented the lob that killed the Orange in the first half while also allowing his length to contest the shot from the high post. It was a subtle adjustment but an important one. Offensively, Syracuse pushed tempo on missed shots, off turnovers and even after made Florida State buckets. That created a lot of great looks. It was a strong coaching effort as well as great execution. It also helps when Jesse Edwards is finishing (he was 3-10 in the first half and 3-4 in the second).
5. Keeping Hopes Alive
Listen, we all know Syracuse's chances of an at large bid are extremely long. However, there is a scenario where the Orange can get back into that conversation. It centers around winning out in the regular season. A loss to either Boston College or Florida State would have ended that even slight chance. Winning those games keeps that alive. Now Syracuse's schedule gets more difficult, but also provides quad one and quad two opportunities. Syracuse has NC State, Duke, at Clemson and at Pittsburgh in its next four games. A tough stretch, but one the Orange needs to have a chance to rack up quality wins. Let's see how it plays out.
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