The Syracuse basketball squad on Tuesday night found itself in another close clash, with the Orange barely getting by Buffalo.
I’m not sure how much more my nerves can take.
Our beloved SU hoops outfit, for the second straight affair, managed to pull out a victory when a setback appeared all too likely.
This past Saturday afternoon, the ‘Cuse stormed back from 13 points down in the second half to prevail over former Big East foe Georgetown in our nation’s capital.
Then, on Tuesday evening, Syracuse coughed up a 13-point advantage of its own after intermission against Buffalo, but SU (10-1) eventually secured an 81-74 triumph inside the Carrier Dome.
In a column earlier this week, I penned that the Orange better not get complacent when dueling with the Bulls (7-4), which is an impressive program.
My assertion then proved right. Buffalo gave the ‘Cuse everything it could handle.
If not for freshman forward Oshae Brissett making each of his 16 free throws, and Syracuse scoring twice as many points from the charity stripe as the Bulls, my friends, I think we suffer a defeat.
Kudos to Brissett; he’s blossoming into an absolute force.
Junior point guard Frank Howard had a huge 3-pointer toward the end, although he also committed two costly turnovers prior to connecting on his pivotal shot from downtown.
Of late, Howard has gotten a little sloppy with his ball-handling and decision-making, which is a
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bit alarming. On the flip side, he executed several monumental plays versus Buffalo. Take the bad with the good, folks.
A win is a win, and I continue to admire how our boys don’t get fazed by tight battles, whether it’s the Bulls, the Hoyas, Connecticut, Maryland … and the list seemingly goes on and on.
Grit and heart are great, however, I fear SU’s crazy thin margin for error may catch up with our team once Atlantic Coast Conference competition arrives in the near future.
Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that we only have eight primary scholarship guys, and virtually everyone on our roster has gotten banged up to some degree in recent games.
College basketball is brutal. It’s so physical, as head coach Jim Boeheim quipped following the Buffalo encounter. Hopefully, the Orange doesn’t succumb to the injury bug.
There, I just jinxed it. Feel free to pounce on me.
Regardless, how the ‘Cuse has performed to date in the 2017-18 campaign is equally exciting and unexpected. A talented St. Bonaventure bunch awaits JB & Co. next.
I am confident Syracuse will land its share of ACC conquests, but is besting highly ranked opponents such as Duke, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia and others really realistic?
Honestly, who knows.
Next: Syracuse Football: 12 days of Christmas (Orange edition)
What I can tell you is this: SU won’t ever throw in the towel, and it will give 110 percent in every contest.
Ultimately, we shouldn’t ask for anything more than that.