Five Takeaways From Syracuse's Comeback Victory Over Buffalo
1. Finding Ways to Win
There is no question that this Syracuse team has its flaws, especially with Bourama Sidibe out. That said, the encouraging thing is that they continue to find ways to win. Whether it is scrapping out a win against Northeastern when they were playing terrible offensively. Or when lethargic for large stretches against Bryant mustering up the energy to rally for a last second victory. Or battling back from 16 against a fully healthy and extra motivated Buffalo squad. The point is, each game was different and each required Syracuse to win in a different way. Having that versatility is what you need come tournament time, and generally is the sign of a good team. None of those three games are ones they win the last two seasons. Part of finding ways to win is going with the hot hand in the guard rotation. Kadary Richmond played 32 minutes against Buffalo to just 16 for Joe Girard as Girard was not playing well. Minutes between those two will fluctuate game to game based on who is playing better in that particular game. Richmond was good for Syracuse in this one, and helped spark a second half comeback.
2. Griffin Comes Alive
Alan Griffin had a terrible game against Northeastern. He started out against Buffalo not playing well. But over the last 10 minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime, he was spectacular. Griffin seemed to snap out of his funk after Jim Boeheim called timeout and spoke with him during the break. After that, Griffin's energy picked up and his play spoke for itself. Over the last two minutes of regulation and in overtime alone, he scored 13 points on 4-4 shooting with four rebonds and that spectacular game saving block. All in all, he finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. When he plays with that type of effort, Griffin can be a game changing player.
3. What's Up With Outside Shooting?
Syracuse was about as good as you can expect shooting three pointers against Boston College, making a program record 16 in that blowout win. Since then, Syracuse has been a paltry 5-37 (13.5%) from beyond the arc. Buddy Boeheim was 0-8 during that two game stretch while Alan Griffin is just 1-9 and Joe Girard is just 2-12. Syracuse needs its best outside shooters to perform better from beyond the arc. They are too good to shoot that poorly consistently. Every shooter goes through slumps, Syracuse's are just all coming at the same time. The good news is they have won those last two games despite that.
4. Appreciate Quincy Guerrier While You Can
How good has Guerrier been this season? He has just been a beast for the Orange. After another strong, team carrying performance against Buffalo where he had 27 points and 11 rebounds, Guerrier is averaging a robust 18 points and 10 boards per game. This while shooting 66.2% from the floor and 43.8% from three point range. If he keeps on this pace, Guerrier will be a first round draft pick. Appreciate his play while you can.
5. Syracuse Can Be Really Good When Sidibe Comes Back
Buffalo torched Syracuse inside and had a season high 58 points in the paint against Syracuse. Buffalo big Josh Mballa had 27 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes. Syracuse had absolutely no answer for him. They really missed Sidibe in this one as Mballa's bulk and strength was too much. Combine that with players like Jeenathan Williams and Jayvon Graves attacking the rim, and the Bulls seemed to get whatever they wanted inside for most of the game. That led to open looks from the outside as Syracuse overcompensated for that success. Sidibe in there changes a lot of that as he has the size and strength to battle in there and provides the best rim protection on the roster. When he comes back, it allows Dolezaj to go back to forward, provides more depth to the roster, and solidifies the inside defensively. This team still has a lot of potential when he returns. If they can keep stacking up wins, this should be a team that easily makes the NCAA Tournament.
