Syracuse men’s basketball (11-6, 4-2 ACC) put together one of its best games of the season with an 82-72 victory over Virginia Tech (11-6, 1-5 ACC) at JMA Wireless on Wednesday night. The dome
The Orange entered the game coming off a 73-66 loss to No. 11 Virginia last Saturday. One of the main issues for Syracuse against UVA was a lack of offensive production. Guards Judah Mintz and Joe Girard III accounted for more than half of SU’s total points.
But the story couldn’t be more different in Wednesday’s matchup against Virginia Tech. In the first half, nine Sirac players touched the court and five players finished the game with double-digit points.
Senior Joe Girard III is back at it, scoring 24 points on 50% shooting from the field. Girard’s scoring ability was on full display as the sharpshooter drilled three triples and converted on a few fadeaway jumpers. The performance marked the sixth game this year in which New York scored 20 or more points.
Despite a strong goal from Girard, it was bench scoring that helped Syracuse to 22 points. Freshmen Malik Brown and Justin Taylor each logged more than 25 minutes for Jim Boeheim’s team. Both Virginia natives had 10 points while Brown finished with 11 points and 12 boards to earn his first career double-double.
“He’s playing starter’s minutes. It stays around the basket. He does what our team needs,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said of Brown.
While SU has found success on the offensive side of the court, its struggles continue on the defensive side of the ball, particularly in the paint. Forty-six of Virginia Tech’s 72 points came from the lane. Both Hokies’ kickoffs torched the Syracuse zone. Justin Mutts, who had a triple-double against the Orange last season, finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. Grant Basile led all scorers with 26 points and shot an impressive 70% from the floor.
One of Syracuse’s biggest issues going forward is finding an effective replacement for center Jesse Edwards when Holland leaves the floor. In addition to leading Syracuse in rebounding, he plays in the middle of Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone defense. Edwards leads the ACC in blocks per game, but has struggled with foul trouble, which has kept him out of the game several times.
Apart from Edward, the Oranges are very thin in the midfield. Mounir Hima is usually the second choice big man but the 6-foot-11 center has struggled to get playing time all season. The sophomore played 5 minutes and committed 3 personal fouls against Virginia Tech.
“I think we got a little better around the defense. We thought we could do better inside.” “Our offense won the game for us – until it didn’t, our defense was instrumental,” Boeheim said.
Next up for Syracuse is a rematch with Notre Dame on Saturday, January 14th at 7:00 PM from the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY, where ‘Cuse won 62-61 over the South Bend Irish earlier this season. After a 7-2 start, Notre Dame is 2-7 in its last nine games.
