Five Takeaways: Syracuse 80 Cornell 68
Syracuse won its second straight game on Wednesday with an 80-68 triumph over Cornell. Here are five takeaways from the game.
1. Turnovers, Turnovers, Turnovers
Syracuse turned it over 16 times, but a lot of those were unforced. Sloppy play, being careless with the basketball and making poor decisions. Cornell's pressure clearly bothered Syracuse, as has been the case most of the season. With conference play taking up the rest of the schedule moving forward, more athletic teams will see that and use it to try to force similar results. Syracuse has to be better taking care of the basketball. I am specifically looking at Joe Girard and Symir Torrence, who combined for seven turnovers. Since they have the ball in their hands quite a bit, they have to be better with it. No one else on the team had more than two, which you can live with for the most part. But seven combined from the point guard position? You will not win games doing that in ACC play.
2. Bench Got Minutes
Symir Torrence played 13 minutes, Benny Williams played 14 and Frank Anselem played 11. That split was nice to see. Will it remain the case in ACC play? It remains to be seen, but I think Anselem has at least proven he deserves 10-plus minutes per game. Williams will depend on what he does when he is out there. Torrence will get some time each game as well. Jim Boeheim admitted Syracuse needs more production from the bench. They got a little against Cornell, but also had some head scratching moments. There is a balance there, but hopefully for Syracuse they can continue to come along to provide something for the Orange.
3. Jesse Edwards Foul Trouble
Jesse Edwards fouled out in 27 minutes. He had 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks during that time and had a profound impact on the game. Cornell could not score inside the arc, and he has a big reason why. It has been said before, but Edwards has to stay on the court and not pick up silly fouls. He fouled out on a play where he started to go straight up but then slapped his arm down and hit a Cornell player across the arm on a shot. I get he is trying to be aggressive and block a shot, but with four fouls you cannot do that. That is the next stage in Edwards’ development; Limiting fouls and learning to play with them.
4. Cole Swider's Slump May Be Over
Over his last three games, Cole Swider is 9-18 (50%) from three point range. He is 6-8 (75%) over his last two. Very encouraging signs for someone who we know is a good outside shooter. He definitely went through some slumps this season, including a stretch where he was 1-15 over three games. Despite those slumps, Swider is up to 34.3% from three point range. That number should continue to climb.
5. Defense
There were certainly some defensive issues against Cornell. They gave up too many open threes and that allowed the Big Red to get back in the game in the first half. However, overall, it was a pretty solid effort. Cornell averaged 88 points per game while shooting 49.5% overall, 37.8% from beyond the arc and turning it over 13 times. The Syracuse defense forced each of those numbers to be worse against the Orange. Cornell scored 68 points (20 below its average and second fewest this season), shot 35.4% from the floor overall, 32.6% from three point range and turned it over 22 times. You will take holding a team that far below its average.
