Syracuse Basketball Wins the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament!

By David Stone | Nov 27, 2015

The Syracuse basketball team defeated Texas A&M 74-67 to win the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.

What a whirlwind three days of Syracuse basketball! Coming into this tournament, there were questions aplenty on how Syracuse would perform against better opponents. I think it’s safe to say that those questions have been answered.

After an opening round win against Charlotte, Syracuse played back-to-back games against top 25 opponents and came out on top in both. After a three point win over UConn yesterday, SU came right back out with another outstanding performance to earn a 74-67 victory and the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament championship.

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The entire game was very back and forth. No team had a lead larger than nine points, and there were over 25 ties and lead changes throughout.

Texas A&M got out to a sizable lead with time winding down in the first half before Syracuse stormed back just before the buzzer. With only 7 seconds to play, Gbinije hit a deep 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring. Then, Cooney stole the inbounds pass, the ball came back to Gbinije, and he drew a foul as he attempted to shoot from half court. He made 2 of 3 free throws, and what was a seven point lead was cut to two before the break.

That momentum shift was huge for Syracuse. Prior to that, it looked like Texas A&M might run away with the game. Their bigs were just too much for the smaller SU to handle, especially when Tyler Lydon had to man the middle. He did his best, but he was outweighed by more than 50 lbs by multiple A&M players and that made it tough.

A&M also did an outstanding job of passing for most of the game and playing a tremendous high low game that worked to get them easy inside looks repeatedly. Jalen Jones in particular was very dominant, scoring 23 points on 10 of 17 shooting. Their center, Tony Trocha-Morelos also helped the cause with four first half offensive rebounds and six in total.

In the end, even though Syracuse got out-rebounded and out-muscled inside, Texas just couldn’t keep pace with the Syracuse 3-point barrage and transition offense. Once again, four different players hit at least two 3-pointers for the ‘Cuse, including Gbinije (4), Lydon (3), Cooney, and Richardson (2 each).

Nov 27, 2015; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Syracuse Orange forward Michael Gbinije (0) drived past Texas A&M Aggies guard Admon Gilder (3) in the first half during the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis championship game in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Photo Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The offense just kept pouring it on and every time A&M would tie or take the lead, SU would get it right back with a 3 or a drive to the rim. Richardson was especially effective in the second half of getting to the rim, and showed off some impressive dribble moves and acrobatics in the air. He had a particularly sweet and-one where he hung in the air and hit a circus shot.

Trevor Cooney played another outstanding game. He finished with 15 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals. He did have 5 turnovers, but a couple of them either weren’t his fault or were due to questionable charge calls. One thing about A&M, they sure do like to flop a lot. I counted eight times that one of their players flew to the ground as if punched in the face. Interesting game plan there.

Regardless, Cooney’s hustle is unmatched and his awareness and leadership were absolutely crucial in the game. At one point, Malachi Richardson drove hard to the hoop in transition and was laid out by A&M’s Collins on a really hard foul. It was called a flagrant, and Richardson was upset. He got up and looked to go at Collins, but was immediately restrained and dragged away by Cooney.

It’s that kind of veteran leadership that wins game. Things could have gotten ugly in a hurry and who knows what would have happened. Instead, Cooney diffused the situation and saved Malachi from a possible technical/ejection/who knows what. That’s the kind of play that comes with experience.

Nov 26, 2015; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Syracuse Orange guard Trevor Cooney (10) and forward Tyler Lydon (20) celebrate in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies during the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort.. Photo Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Lydon also had another outstanding game. He went 3 for 3 from 3-point range and finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds. He again showed off his versatility, hitting those threes outside but also making a gorgeous 12-foot jumper from the corner and taking it to the rim a couple times to earn free throws.

Cooney, Richardson, and Lydon were all tremendous. But they just can’t compare to Michael Gbinije. This kid is an absolute phemon. He drained another four 3-pointers (that makes 12 for the tourney). He dished 4 assists, grabbed 2 rebounds, and recorded 2 steals as well. He finished the game with 20 points and could have had more. He just barely missed a couple of his shots and also got called for 2 charges that were both incredibly questionable calls.

Gbinije has been truly remarkable so far this season. He’s now averaging 19.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.2 steals per game. He’s also shooting 54% from the field and 51% from 3. He’s made 20 of his 39 3-point attempts so far this year. That is an absolutely crazy percentage.

His defense has also been tremendous this year. He leads the ACC in steals per game and is tied for 11th nationally. He’s almost impossible to get around because of how quick his feet are, and his length allows him to close out on shooters. Right now, there really isn’t a weakness to his game aside from maybe a few too many turnovers. He’s even improved his free throw shooting, as he is over 76% for the year.

Although Syracuse appears to be basically a 6-7 man rotation this year, they have the talent to be really good. I’m still hopeful they can blow out some teams soon to give guys like Joseph, Obokoh, and Howard some minutes, but right now wins are more important. Syracuse is now 6-0 on the year and will undoubtedly be ranked in the polls now.

Next: Syracuse Football: The End of the Scott Shafer Era

They flew under the radar for as long as they could, but they’ve now emerged as a true contender. If they can make it through the non-conference schedule without losing, they have a solid chance of being a top 10 team entering ACC play. I know I’m getting a big ahead of myself, but I just can’t help it. I love this team!

Reality will set it in pretty fast though, as Syracuse still has a very tough non-conference schedule in December to navigate. Their next game is on December 2nd against Wisconsin in the dome, and that will be no picnic. Wisconsin has fallen out of the rankings after a rough start, bu that doesn’t mean they won’t be a tough test. Right after that it’s Georgetown and St. John’s, so it won’t get any easier for a while for SU.

Check back later for more coverage on the Syracuse vs. Wisconsin game as well as the tournament awards for the Orange from the Battle 4 Atlantis.

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