Five Takeaways: Syracuse 92 Arizona State 84
Syracuse beat Arizona State 92-84 on Thursday. Here are my five takeaways from the win.
1. Jesse Edwards is a Difference Maker
How good was Jesse Edwards? He was the difference maker against Arizona State and proved why his ability to stay on the floor is one of the most important factors for this Orange squad. After playing just 15 minutes against VCU, he played 35 against Arizona State, committing only one foul. If he plays 35 minutes against VCU, Syracuse wins that game. Edwards scored a career high 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots while altering several others. Buy stock now on Jesse Edwards.
2. Cole Gets His Swagger Back
As important as the win was to Syracuse, that's how important this performance was for Cole Swider. He scored 19 points, made four of five three point attempts and grabbed 11 rebounds. Once his first three pointer went in, you could see that a lot of pressure came off his shoulders. His energy picked up and you could see the confidence start to grow. When his second one fell, you could sort of see this "OK, I'm back" look on his face. Syracuse needs that Cole Swider moving forward. Big game for him.
3. Full Court Pressure is Still a Problem
Arizona State got back into the game for two reasons. First, they made a bunch of threes, some of which were quite long or contested. Others were open looks. The Sun Devils were 11-23 in the second half from the outside. Sixty-two percent of ASU's shots in the second half were three pointers. The other reason ASU got back in it was the success of the full court press. It frustrated Syracuse, forced the Orange to take timeouts and turn it over. Syracuse has to figure that out or else teams will do it for longer stretches every game to try to take Syracuse out of rhythm and create turnover opportunities. Perhaps that means Syracuse needs to get more out of Symir Torrence. Perhaps Syracuse has to adjust its approach to breaking the press. They were able to beat it and get high percentage looks a few times, but the press helped make the game appear closer than it was for most of the night.
4. Much Needed Win
After back to back losses, Syracuse needed this one. The players needed it and the fans needed it. Opponent almost did not matter. Syracuse just needed to get back in the W column and have something positive happen.
5. Significant Test Awaits
Syracuse's next opponent is Auburn. The Tigers are really good. They defend well, rebound well, has a 7-1, 245 pound center in Walker Kessler (North Carolina transfer if that name sounds familiar) and a stud freshman in Jabari Smith. Auburn also has good shooters in KD Johnson (47.6% from three point range) and Smith (42.9%). Auburn has size, plays with physicality and is a very athletic team. It will be interesting to see how Syracuse responds against a team that would almost certainly be a quad one win if the Orange can pull out the victory. Both teams will be tired having played two games in two days before this one. The mental aspect of the game may be of critical importance here. Syracuse will also need more from its bench.
