Syracuse Grounds Eagles Behind Swider’s Sharpshooting
CHESTNUT HILL, MA -- If there’s any time to make a run for the glimmering hope that is March Madness, now is the time. And with four-straight Orange wins, they look to be edging ever-so-slightly back.
Syracuse hasn’t been two wins above .500 since defeating Ivy League foes Brown and Cornell in January, then going on a 3-6 run throughout the month.
Ending the tepid month with some heat against Wake Forest, the Orange burned through NC State, Louisville and now Boston College, gearing up for the final stretch of the season.
“I think these last four games we’ve come together as a team, just excited to where we’re heading,” forward Cole Swider said. “Obviously, I think we played great tonight, but to get an ACC is not easy to come by, so it’s a good win for us.”
Swider became the hometown hero, as many of his friends and family attended the match from his nearby home in Portsmouth, RI. Despite the 307 miles that separate the Carrier Dome and Conte Forum, Syracuse fans galore glittered the small arena in orange.
“For me, it was nice being home,” Swider said. “A lot of my family got to see me play, a lot of my friends got to see me play. And it was special for me. I know Syracuse travels well, I know Syracuse fans are crazy. They can fill up a dome with 30,000 people. It felt like a home game tonight.”
The Eagles felt the pressure, and they built a maroon and gold brick road throughout the contest, shooting an abysmal 6-28 from three. Guard Brevin Galloway was the foreman on the project, flailing for 1-12. He has made just six threes in his last 47 shots.
“Part of the missing is we were just on him,” head coach Jim Boeheim said. “We wanted to make Galloway uncomfortable, and we did.”
On the opposite end of the shooting spectrum, Swider is now 14-19 in his last 19 threes, shooting an impressive 5-8 last night.
Swider is shooting a lot more off the dribble, making a few key threes and jumpers, showing a shift in his technique. The forward typically shoots spot up shots, notably struggling in the Clemson win a few weeks ago due to forced shots off the dribble, going 1-5.
This week was a different story.
“He works hard every day, try and get better,” Coach Boeheim said on Swider’s performances. He’s shooting well, a really, really high level right now.”
While the deep shot was owned by the Orange, the paint was a different story. Center Jesse Edwards finished with a goose egg on the scoring tally and fouled out, giving way for Frank Anselem to receive 22 minutes off the bench.
“They were physical with him, he just wasn’t ready for it...he couldn’t get to the basket, and he got frustrated,” head coach Jim Boeheim said. “Jesse couldn’t stay in the game.”
Anselem, despite his big minutes, only shot 2-4 from the field but did pick up six rebounds. The backup big man hasn’t played more than 17 minutes in a single game all season, last reaching that mark in the Wake Forest win, and he averages just above 10 minutes per game.
“I wish Frank would just jump, but he doesn’t,” Coach Boeheim said. “He was in perfect position two times, nobody there, offensive rebound came right to him, he just looked at it. He has not figured out that you have to jump to get the ball. Hopefully he can get there, but so far, he hasn’t got it.”
Anselem finished with three offensive and three defensive boards.
The Eagles outscored the Orange 40-16 inside the paint, as Anselem and Benny Williams only scored a total of six points. The point total, however, is skewed, because Boston College only shot 37.5% from the field and under 50% when taking out the terrible three-point percentage.
“I just thought without Jesse, it hurts, for sure,” Coach Boeheim said. “Their big guy just dominated Jesse completely, and Frank. I’m sure he had a career night - that’s not a good sign.”
BC’s center and two forwards who played combined for 8-21 shooting and 19 rebounds, good for 18 points.
The Orange have now just seven games to go, with 20 wins still possible, mathematically, at least. These include road contests at Virginia Tech (9th in the ACC), Notre Dame (2nd) and North Carolina (4th), and home matchups versus Boston College (12th), Georgia Tech (13th), Duke (1st) and Miami (5th).
Syracuse will next travel to Blacksburg, VA to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies this Saturday night in their sole matchup this season.
