Syracuse Basketball: Super Malachi to the Rescue

Syracuse basketball is back in the Final Four after an epic, jaw-dropping comeback against Virginia thanks in large part to Malachi Richardson.

What can I honestly say about that game yesterday? Well, if you’ve been living under a bridge for the past 24 hours, let’s just say that it was the single greatest comeback I’ve seen in Syracuse basketball history.

Down 15 points with under 10 minutes remaining, Syracuse basketball went on a run of epic proportions, fueled in large part by the cold blooded, icy veins shooting and driving of Malachi Richardson.

At the half, Malachi Richardson hadn’t made a single field goal. He was 0-6 from the floor and his lone two points came from the free throw line. To be fair, the stifling defense of Virginia contributed to that. So did the refs completely swallowing their whistles whenever SU drove the ball.

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But early in the second half, something clicked for Malachi. And if you’ve watched him this season, it’s something you’ve seen him do a bunch of times already. He got mad. And when he gets mad, he gets focused in.

Some players get mad and then they can’t shoot, or they make careless turnovers, but not Malachi Richardson. He has been blessed with that rare competitive spirit that his anger fuels his performance, and the more emotional he is, the better he plays.

Look no further than the opening round game against Dayton. It was his fire, his primal screams, and his constant high energy that woke up the rest of the team. The same thing happened against Virginia.

With the lead at 15 points with under 10 to go, I think even the most devoted Syracuse basketball fan was in full panic mode. Against a team like Virginia, that kind of lead is insurmountable, right? Wrong. Oh so wrong.

Syracuse basketball ended the game on a 29-8 run. They turned a mere 2.5% win probability into one of the most inspiring, frenzied finishes I’ve ever seen in a college basketball game. And at the center of it all was Malachi Richardson.

Malachi, who opened going 0-6 in the first half and even missed his first two field goals in the second, closed by going 6-8 from the field, hitting three daggers from deep, slashing to the hoop and scoring, and playing active aggressive defense.

And each time he scored, you could just see the anger and emotion running to the surface. He had been bullied all game and enough was enough. It was his time to shine. And boy did he ever.

This was one of those transcendental kind of performances. It’s something I’ll remember 30 years from now when I’m telling my grandkids the time that Syracuse basketball got no respect and told the entire basketball world to shove it.

Thank you Malachi. Thank you for saving the day, swooping in and playing some of the most clutch basketball I’ve ever seen. I will not forget this, nor will any other Syracuse basketball fan for as long as we live.

Next: Syracuse Advances to the Final Four

I hope and pray that you come back to us for another season next year, but even if you don’t, you’ve given us fans some of the greatest on court adventures we’ve ever had the privilege to watch.

The only thing left to do now is to beat UNC. We’ve played them close twice and I truly believe we have the exact kind of team that can win that game. SU is already 9.5 point underdogs, so the disrespect is certainly real. Let’s prove the world wrong once more.

Malachi, it’s time to put on that hero’s cape one last time. Do it for Boeheim. Do it for Hop. Do it for Otto the Orange. Do it for the fans. But most importantly, do it for your team.

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