Five Takeaways: Syracuse 81 Pittsburgh 73
Syracuse basketball knocked off Pittsburgh 81-73 in the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. Here are five takeaways from the victory.
1. Benny Williams
Williams had his best game of the year by far with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench. He was exactly what Syracuse needed. An offensive threat from the forward position and a physical presence defensively. This was a very encouraging performance from Benny given everything that has happened this season already. If he can be anything close to that the rest of the year, it is likely only a matter of time before he gets back into the starting lineup. He has to be that more consistently though, which is the next step for him.
2. Quadir Copeland
A career high 22 points to go along with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. It was a fantastic all around game for Copeland yet again. This was the fourth straight game with Copeland in double figures. He has averaged 16 points, six rebounds, 4.5 assists and two steals per game during that stretch. Copeland is a major weapon who impacts the game on both ends and with his hustle/energy. Copeland is having a major impact on games and is an absolute blast to watch. Going 13-15 from the free throw line should not be lost either.
3. Maliq Brown
Maliq Brown is Syracuse's best center. Regardless of who starts, he has the biggest impact on the game. He finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and two steals against Pitt. Defensively, he has a knack to poke the ball away and get steals that is uncommon for bigs. Brown is always around the ball, is a strong rebounder and always efficient scoring the ball shooting 75% for the year. That said, Naheem McLeod showed some positive signs with four blocks in just nine minutes. It was just a tough assignment for him with Pitt's bigs able to jump out to the three point line. Four blocks in nine minutes is crazy though and he can still have an impact as a rim protector.
4. Defense
Other than the stretch towards the end of the first half when Pittsburgh built up its lead, the Syracuse defense was superb. If it had played that way during the stretch at the end of the first half, Syracuse probably wins by 15+. That said, this is what can make this team really good and dangerous so the better teams in the ACC. The ability to turn teams over and get out in transition. The Orange had 12 steals, forced 15 turnovers, held Pitt's best player (Blake Hinson) to just 3-12 shooting and 1-7 from three.
5. Impressive Comeback
The bench and defense sparked an impressive comeback in this one. Especially considering this was not a game where Judah Mintz dominated. He scored 12 points on 4-10 shooting with five assists and three steals. A solid game for him but not a great performance. Trailing by 11 early in the second half, it looked like a typical Pitt controlling Syracuse type of game. Then the Orange took over and dominated the rest of the half. The bench outscored Pitt's bench 52-17, all of which came from Benny, Maliq and Quadir. But the impact was more than just scoring. Those three combined for 24 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and two blocks. With two of the next three games at Duke and at North Carolina, this game was about as close to a must win as a late December game can get. This could be a spark for the rest of the season.
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