Syracuse Basketball: Marek Dolezaj is SU’s clutch, unsung hero
Marek Doležaj, Syracuse basketball’s unshakable sophomore and unsung hero, reassumed his NCAA Tournament heroics on Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse basketball (11-4, 2-0) has won four games in a row, including back-to-back victories to begin conference play. Marek Doležaj has started in all four games, and much like the 2018 NCAA Tournament, has quietly and efficiently won games for the Orange.
On Wednesday night, Doležaj played 30 minutes, scored 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting (2-for-4 from three), grabbed four rebounds (two of which were on offense), dished out four assists, blocked two shots, and stole the ball two times.
Other than Tyus Battle, Doležaj was the only Orange player to hit all of his free throws. What separated the Slovakian from the rest of his teammates was his ability to not turn the ball over even once throughout the Orange win. While the sophomore forward saw Elijah Hughes, Oshae Brissett, Frank Howard, and Battle combine for 13 turnovers, Doležaj maintained control all night long, and like this past March, gave Syracuse the edge over a tough opponent.
We’ve Seen This Before:
Last season, Syracuse’s big-three of Battle (22 games), Brissett (six games), and Howard (six games) led the Orange in scoring in all but three games. Two of the three games in which someone not named Battle, Brissett, or Howard led the team in scoring came during the 2018 ACC and NCAA Tournament, where Doležaj carried the Orange to season-defining wins.
In round one of the 2018 ACC Tournament, the Orange defeated Wake Forest 73-64 after Doležaj scored a team-high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting, hit 8-of-10 free throws, grabbed four rebounds, and blocked two shots. On a night where the Orange struggled from outside (6-of-17 from 3PT), Doležaj kept things simple, as all 20 of his points came within the three-point line.
Fast forward 10 days to the NCAA Tournament. After defeating Arizona State in their First Four game, No. 11 Syracuse took on No. 6 TCU in the first round of March Madness. While Battle, Howard, and Brissett combined to shoot just 28% from the floor (11-for-40) and just 2-of-13 from three, Doležaj continued to dominate in a quiet and efficient way. Over 33 minutes the then-freshman scored a team-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting and hit his only three attempted. After fouling out with 7 minutes to play, the performance was enough to just keep Syracuse afloat the rest of the way, and lead the Orange to the second round of the tournament.
Seven days later, after SU upset No. 3 Michigan State in the second round of the Tournament, Doležaj continued to quietly keep Syracuse in games when scoring 13 points on strong 6-for-8 shooting and grabbing four rebounds in Syracuse’s narrow 69-65 loss to No. 2 Duke in the Sweet Sixteen.
Doležaj Can Cement SU’s Tournament Fate Before Selection Sunday:
A year ago, today, the Orange found themselves losers of three straight, and owners of a less-than-impressive 12-5 record and a 1-3 record in conference play that would soon become 1-4.
It wasn’t until the final hour, which in last season’s case, meant their final ACC regular season game, in which Syracuse upset No. 18 Clemson, and finally possessed a win over a ranked opponent that would receive favorable seeding in March Madness.
The Orange’s narrow three-point victory (55-52) last March provided them with a sliver of hope that would soon lead them to the final spot in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
This time around, the 2019 Orange sit once again in familiar territory, not because of their play through two ACC games, rather two disappointing, non-conference losses that preceded it.
An 83-76 November loss to unranked Connecticut and a 68-62 December loss to unranked Old Dominion in the Carrier Dome was more than enough evidence that the Orange, who entered the season as the No. 16 team in the country, may once again wait until the final hour to prove their worth.
That of course, is unless Doležaj continues to slowly trend away from being the selfless player he is, and continue shooting the ball at an alarmingly high rate.
On top of a strong start to ACC play, the Orange of now has less pressure than last season after not waiting until March to take down a Top-25 counterpart and legitimize their “tournament-worthy” resume ahead of Selection Sunday. In late November, the Orange upset No. 16 Ohio State 72-62 in Columbus during the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and dismissed all conclusions that they can’t win outside of Central New York.
The Orange and their unsung hero now sit at 11-4, are a perfect 2-0 in conference play, and have 16 more games to hopefully surpass the 20-win plateau and bolster a resume that will surely be closely critiqued by the selection committee this March.
Doležaj Can Help Rewrite the Narrative of Syracuse Basketball:
Battle, Brissett, and Hughes have accounted for roughly 65% of Syracuse Basketball’s scoring per game this season. Following a 12-point performance from Howard Wednesday night, the Orange are beginning to trend towards being a team that has four proven scorers at full health, something Jim Boeheim hasn’t had in a long time. If those four continue to attract premier defense, and Doležaj continues to quietly hover around 7-10 points a night for the rest of the season, Syracuse can avoid any potential worry come Selection Sunday.
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Many believed that the 2018 Orange wasn’t deserving of a Tournament bid after finishing 8-10 in conference play. Some even believed the Orange’s 2016 Final Four team, one that just cracked even (9-9) in conference play, didn’t deserve an NCAA Tournament bid. If Doležaj continues to serve as the unshakable player who broke out last March, the Orange will be in a position to win the majority of their conference schedule, and because of their unsung hero, will avoid any nervousness come March 17th.