Five Takeaways: Syracuse 92 Louisville 69
Syracuse blew out Louisville 92-69 on Saturday for its third straight win. Here are five takeaways from the victory.
1. Turning The Corner?
Syracuse is currently on a three game winning streak, its first of the season. After the Orange blew out Wake Forest, we wondered if that could be a turning point for this team given that it was easily the best performance of the season. Syracuse has used that momentum the next two games and continued to play at a high level offensively while showing signs defensively. During the streak, Syracuse has averaged 91.7 points per game while shooting 57.1% overall and 54.1% from three point range. With two games against Boston College in the next three, the Orange has a chance to keep that going. Every team is different, and every team takes a different amount of time before everything clicks. It appears Syracuse has finally found that. The team looks confident, it knows who it is, the players trust each other and they play hard. That is a good recipe for success. This is what we all thought this team would be entering the season. Not great defensively, but competent enough to win games given the offense. A balanced offense with weapons all over the court that is incredibly difficult to defend. It took them a while to get there, but it appears they are there now. The key is continuing to play that way going forward.
2. Jesse Edwards
We seem to say this after almost every game, but how good is Jesse Edwards? Another superb game. He finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. All in just 26 minutes (he did not play the final 10 minutes due to Syracuse's large lead). He was on pace for 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, five steals and four blocks if he had played 35 minutes. Just a ridiculous state line. The pick and roll offense with him rolling to the basket puts so much pressure on defenses because of his ability to finish. Defensively, he is so good in the middle, teams often avoid going inside entirely when he is in the game as Louisville did for stretches. He has become such an impactful player. If he adds some more strength in the offseason, he will be a force next year.
3. Joe Girard
As much over the top flack as Girard has taken this season, he has put together a strong three game stretch. He is averaging 15 points, five assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals during those three games while turning it over just twice per game. His passing has been superb, he has largely avoided unforced turnovers, has handled pressure well and gotten Syracuse into its offense during which time the Orange has averaged over 91 points per game. For the most part this season, Girard has been pretty good. Over the last three games, he has been stellar.
4. The Balance
Syracuse scored 92 points on Saturday without a single player eclipsing 20 points. Syracuse did the same against NC State when it scored 89 points. In a 22 point blowout of Wake Forest, the Orange scored 94 points, and while Buddy had 30, three other players scored in double figures without hitting 20. The point is, the offense has been extremely balanced. Shot distribution has been balanced. Jimmy Boeheim, Cole Swider and Jesse Edwards each had nine shot attempts against NC State, while Girard had 10 and Buddy 16. Against Louisville, Swider and Jimmy had seven each, Edwards and Girard had 11 each while Buddy had 13 attempts. Everyone is getting good looks, everyone is largely making them and that puts so much pressure on defenses. You cannot focus on taking one player away because the others can beat you. While Syracuse has largely been good offensively all season, the last three games have been at another level.
5. The Bench
There were some positive signs from the bench, including Symir Torrence hitting a three, Frank Anselem scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds in 13 minutes and Benny Williams making three of four free throws in 13 minutes or finding Frank Anselem after a nice drive for an easy dunk. Still, Syracuse needs more from its bench. Benny failed to grab a rebound during his time on the floor. The defense took a step back with the reserves on the floor. In the first half, an 11 point lead went down to seven with the reserves in. The starters pushed it back to 13 over the two minutes after being reinserted into the game. In the second half, a 31 point lead was trimmed to 22 with the reserves in. There were other factors at play in both circumstances, but the point remains, Syracuse needs its bench to play better. Otherwise, the starters are going to get the vast majority of the minutes.
SUPPORT ALL SYRACUSE
SUBSCRIBE TO ALLSYRACUSE.COM NOW TO GET ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INSIDER CONTENT
JOIN THE ALL SYRACUSE FORUMS FOR FREE AND DISCUSS THE ORANGE WITH OTHER FANS AND OUR STAFF
