Revenge Achieved For Syracuse Basketball Team After Juicy Payback Win

The Syracuse basketball team got payback on the Boston College Eagles with a juicy payback win on Saturday night. Here’s what went right and wrong.

The Syracuse basketball squad secured some sweet revenge in pasting Boston College by 23 points on Saturday before 21,626 happy fans inside the Carrier Dome.

Freshman sensation Tyus Battle paced the Orange (11-7) with a career-high 21 points, one of four ‘Cuse players to reach double-figures.

Battle drove to the rack with supreme confidence, while also shooting proficiently from downtown. His offensive game is really rounding into strong form.

It’s funny how a script can flip. When these two schools met on Jan. 1, the Eagles (9-9) torched the Orange, 96-81, connecting on 16 3-pointers.

That New Year’s Day triumph represented BC’s first conference conquest in almost two years, and the most points surrendered by Syracuse since it joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season.

Fast-forward to today, and SU absolutely crushed Boston College, 76-53. The Eagles made half as many 3-point baskets (eight) this time out, shooting just 36 percent from downtown and 40 percent overall from the field.

Our defense was very active again. It led to us forcing 15 first half turnovers which was a big difference in this game. #CuseMode
— Adrian Autry (@CoachRedAutry) January 14, 2017

The ‘Cuse zone defense proved pretty vicious against BC. Freshman Ky Bowman, who collected 30 points in the initial match-up, managed only three points in the second face-off, on 1-of-9 shooting. What’s more, sophomore Jerome Robinson, the No. 3 scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference, had nine points in hitting 3-of-11 shots.

Syracuse, on the other hand, tallied 47 percent from the field, 25 percent from 3-point range (yuck) and 90 percent from the free-throw line (17-of-19 … woo-hoo).

Sophomore Tyler Lydon, a bit hobbled in the road defeat to Virginia Tech this past Tuesday, netted 16 points and six rebounds. He seemed healthy.

Freshman Taurean Thompson started off scorching, with six quick points, before finishing with 10 points and three boards.

Graduate transfer Andrew White III generated 13 points along with three steals.

Senior Tyler Roberson put in a solid effort with six points and six boards. He had a ridiculous block after intermission. His energy level is on the rise.

Check out this quote from someone in the comments section on Syracuse.com:

"“I swear if Robey could play like a freak every time out he could be the next Worm (Dennis Rodman). The hell with scoring.”"

Hilarious, and not necessarily that off-base.

Fellow grad transfer John Gillon had four points, six assists and three rebounds, but he shot 1-of-6 from the field. That led head coach Jim Boeheim to give sophomore Frank Howard some run; he scored four points, dished out three assists, pulled down two boards and had one steal.

Most encouraging: the two point guards, combined, committed merely two turnovers. A good sign.

"Said Boeheim in his post-game press conference: “I thought Frank did a great job tonight.”"

As a team, SU had just six turnovers. BC, conversely, had a whopping 20. In points off turnovers, the Orange significantly outweighed the Eagles, 20-6. The same held true with fast-break points (10-0) and points in the paint (32-18).

Additionally, the ‘Cuse possessed a 15-11 edge in assists, as well as 11-2 in steals.

"“For us, it’s all defensive effort. … I think our defense is getting better,” Boeheim said. “Intensity, more activity. We didn’t let them get it into the post as much” like versus Virginia Tech on Jan. 10."

Let’s save the best for last in discussing Battle’s performance. I love this kid. Similar to any freshman getting used to the rigors of college basketball, he’s experienced some growing pains on both ends of the floor.

But, Battle has … battled. And he’s excelling. His line against Boston College: 7-of-13 from the

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field, 3-of-6 from 3-point land and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. He also nabbed three steals and two dimes.

Battle is making about 45 percent of his 3-point attempts, which is tremendous. Yet what gets me pumped is how he used his athleticism to race past defenders and get to the rim.

Per Syracuse.com’s Chris Carlson, Battle came into the BC clash with 10 dunks/lay-ups for the entire 2016-17 campaign. He had four on Saturday. Carlson noted: “This was also the first game since the season-opener that Tyus Battle took more than half his shots from inside the arc.”

We should point out that former Syracuse star Eric Devendorf, who joined the team as an assistant strength and conditioning coach last fall, has recently spent time working with the guards on driving to the hoop. At least in terms of Battle, that work is, well, working.

"Boeheim said of Battle: “I thought he was more patient. I thought he was really terrific.”"

The head coach had, not too long ago, exclusively gone to Gillon at the point-guard position. Gillon answered the call in recent wins over Miami and Pittsburgh, but Howard is seeing action because Gillon has struggled a tad the past two contests.

I still believe it’s best for the roster’s chemistry and cohesion to not have a platoon at point guard, although if Gillon can’t continue positive play, Howard will get more minutes.

For now, it’s a seven-man rotation. Senior Dajuan Coleman is firmly planted on the bench. “He’s not moving well in practice, and you have to go by that,” Boeheim said.

From my perspective, Syracuse had fairly solid execution on offense and defense. The Orange couldn’t afford to get swept by the Eagles. Rather, the ‘Cuse notched its third ACC victory.

Battle is coming into his own, and boy do we need that. White is a proven scorer. Lydon has found a groove. Roberson does the dirty work inside. Gillon and Howard are inconsistent. Thompson is clearly an offensive gem, but still somewhat of a liability on defense.

Every guy needs to come firing on all cylinders when SU heads to Chapel Hill on Monday, Jan. 16, to face No. 11 North Carolina. On Saturday, the Tar Heels handed No. 9 Florida State its first ACC setback.

In a TV interview after the Boston College win, Battle said that the Syracuse squad is getting back on the right track. Hope so.

Next: Rapid Reaction: Tyus Battle Leads Syracuse Basketball To Dominant Win

"Added Boeheim: “I think we’re getting better. We’re still not there. We have a lot of work to do.”"

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