Syracuse basketball pulled off a 75-66 victory over NC State on Senior Day thanks mostly to Michael Gbinije and his 34 points.
What a way to say goodbye to the Carrier Dome. Michael Gbinije, channeling his inner Gerry McNamara, lit it up in his last game at the Dome, going off for a career-high 34 points on 8-13 3-pointers. He also chipped in 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He did a little bit of everything this game, but it was his deadly accuracy with the long ball that won it for Syracuse basketball.
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In an ugly game in which Syracuse turned it over 17 times and once again lost the rebounding battle, Michael Gbinije was the shining star on both ends of the court. It seemed like every time NC State tried to inch it’s way back into the game, Gbinije answered with a clutch 3, or an off-balance jumper, or a slash to the hoop, or even a timely block.
He played one of the most complete games I’ve seen anyone play at Syracuse basketball in the past 10 years. And he really needed to, as his teammates didn’t give him a lot of help. Aside from Richardson’s 13 and Lydon’s 11, no one else on SU had more than seven. That includes Cooney, who had just five points on senior day and went 0-6 from 3-point range. Most of those were wide open looks too.
I feel a little bad for Trevor, as I know this isn’t the game he envisioned ending his Syracuse basketball career in the dome on. I was hoping he’d make at least one or two of those open shots, but unfortunately that just wasn’t in the cards for him.
The rest of the Orange didn’t fair much better, aside from perhaps Dajuan Coleman who had a solid 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 35 minutes. He played very well on both ends, and other than picking up some cheap, unnecessary fouls, has continued to show major signs of progression as the season wears down.
For the 5th straight game, Tyler Roberson was a no-show. He played just 14 minutes and never looked in rhythm in his limited time on the court. I was really hoping for a bounce back game from him, but he just didn’t have it. He finished with just 4 points and 3 rebounds and continues to remain firmly planted in Jim Boeheim’s doghouse.
As mentioned above, Richardson and Lydon, the two freshman phenoms, were the only other players to do much on offense. Richardson actually had a very impressive game as well, scoring 13 points, hitting 3/6 3-pointers, and also grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out a game-high 7 assists. He had a very well-rounded afternoon and continues to improve in all aspects of his game.
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Lydon didn’t shoot it particularly well from the outside, going 1-7 from downtown, but he did contribute 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals and was the catalyst for a number of Syracuse basketball fast breaks.
Overall, it was not SU’s best defensive performance of the season, but they got just enough offense to get the job done and send the seniors off with a victory. Gbinije was certainly the hero, and I think he just opened a lot of people’s eyes around the country of just what he’s capable of.