Syracuse Basketball: Player Grades vs. Lehigh

Nov 13, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Michael Gbinije (0) drives to the basket past Lehigh Mountain Hawks guard Kyle Leufroy (10) during the second half at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse defeated Lehigh 57-47. Photo Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Gbinije- 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 5-13 overall, 2-9 from 3

Michael, much like Trevor, had a very mixed game of good and bad. He too started off very sluggish and missed some open looks early. He also looked very frustrated with the refs at times, who missed a few absolutely blatant fouls against him.

There was one possession where he went to start the fast break, was literally tackled to the floor, and no foul was called. On another possession, he put up a shot and was mauled so hard he couldn’t even land on his feet with no call. These plays really seemed to bother Gbinije early as he often looked uncomposed, something that is pretty surprising for the normally easy-going and cool-headed Gbinije.

Eventually he got his rhythm and scored some points. He also looked solid at the free throw line, connecting on four of five shots. He looked much more patient at the line and took his time. It was nice to see, as it’s the first time I’ve thought his free throw form looked good and consistent.

Gbinije, like Cooney, also had problems with his ball handling and passing. He dribbled the ball off his foot at one point, and made a number of lazy passes that were intercepted and led to fast breaks. At times it looked like his head just wasn’t in the game.

I give Gbinije an overall grade of B-. Although he led the team in scoring, he wasn’t his normal swiss army knife self, and looked out of sorts for big chunks of the game. He also didn’t drive to the hoop nearly as much as I would have liked.