A year ago, Syracuse basketball withered away 18 points against Miami in the 2021-22 regular season, with the Hurricanes emerging with two narrow wins. And a similar scenario happened in the Sunshine State on Monday night.
The Orange fell 11-2 down against the No. 17 Hurricanes early Monday night, but then the ‘Cuse righted the ship and went up four points at half-time. Then, in the second half, Syracuse Basketball built another double-digit lead over Miami, this time by 11 points.
However, down the stretch the Hurricanes made up their deficit, aided by some 3-point shots, second-chance opportunities through the offensive glass, hitting the free-throw line and forcing the Orange to costly turnovers.
Monday night’s result at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. was an 82-78 triumph for Miami (15-3, 6-2 in the ACC). As a result, Syracuse basketball missed a golden opportunity to earn a much-needed first quadrant win in the current 2022-23 season.
i won’t lie This loss really hurts. Entering this Atlantic Coast Conference duel, the ‘Cuse had won back-to-back and nine of their last 11 affairs.
Now the Orange (12-7, 5-3) must regroup and prepare for another street date at Georgia Tech on Saturday, Jan. 21, with the tip scheduled for 12 p.m. and televised on regional sports networks from ACC is planned .
Syracuse basketball saw tremendous performances from its two senior starters.
Both Miami and the ‘Cuse shot so-so off the field in this fun back-and-forth competition. They were each below average from across the arc. For me, the key difference was the charity stripe.
Syracuse basketball hit 82 percent from the free throw line, and the Hurricanes hit 89 percent. However, Miami accumulated an 11-point advantage at the strip, and that was the ball game for me.
Overall, the Hurricanes won the battle on the boards, but not by a huge margin. But Miami, late in the matter grabbing numerous offensive boards to keep the possessions afloat, proved genuinely detrimental to the Orange.
Undeniably, freshman point guard Judah Mintz struggled with that setback. Freshman forward Chris Bell was also not doing much after catching fire in the team’s comeback win on the mound against Notre Dame last Saturday night.
Conversely, senior center Jesse Edwards was a monster with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Senior shooting guard Joe Girard III wasn’t good from 3-point land, but overall he had 21 points and five assists.
Also, an encouraging sign was that Benny Williams was a solid sophomore, scoring 12 points and five boards.
Hey, there’s no shame in losing to a top 20 opponent by four points along the way. It’s just frustrating that Syracuse basketball could have knocked out an opponent ranked 39th on the NCAA NET and let the Orange slip away a double-digit lead.
On the other hand, the Fighting Irish held a 12-point lead over the ‘Cuse in the second half over the weekend at the JMA Wireless Dome, and the Syracuse basketball returned and won.
college basketball. Fun, exciting and heartbreaking all fused together. I’m hoping Syracuse basketball can hit back against the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta next Saturday afternoon.
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