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Syracuse Basketball vs. Clemson: 5 Keys to the Game

By David Stone

Dec 30, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Lydon (20) drives to the basket as Pittsburgh Panthers forward Rafael Maia (R) defends during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. PITT won 72-61. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Lydon (20) drives to the basket as Pittsburgh Panthers forward Rafael Maia (R) defends during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. PITT won 72-61. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Syracuse Basketball
Dec 22, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange acting head coach Mike Hopkins talks with guard Kaleb Joseph (14) against the Montana State Bobcats during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse won 82-60. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

Play the Bench!

I get it. The coaching staff has no faith in Kaleb Joseph or Chinonso Obokoh. I’m not arguing that point.

What I will argue is that these guys need to see the floor more regardless. How are they supposed to build confidence and coaching trust when they know that the second they make a mistake, they will be yanked out of the game. Both are averaging less than 10 minutes a game, which gives them absolutely no time to get in a rhythm or establish any kind of consistency.

Gbinije turned it over eight times against Miami, yet he was never benched. Sorry, but that’s ridiculous. It was abundantly clear to anyone watching that game that the smaller guard of Miami (Angel Rodriguez) was giving Gbinije fits.

So why not bring in the smaller, quicker Joseph to match up better and move Gbinije to the 2 or 3, or even better yet, give him some much needed rest. He even admitted after the game that he was very fatigued, a statement that was echoed by teammate Malachi Richardson.

Playing someone on dead legs with the game on the line is just not smart basketball. At that point, I’d rather have a fresh, unproven, scapegoat in the game (Joseph). Or instead, give Joseph more minutes earlier in the game and spell Gbinije then so he’s fresh for the end.

Instead, Gbinije had another huge workload and is now 8th in the nation in minutes per game. That’s not a good stat.

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