Syracuse Basketball: Orange picks up its most-important win of the year

The Syracuse basketball squad put a beat-down on Louisville at the Carrier Dome, setting up a monster match-up with top-ranked Duke.

This is the team that ‘Cuse Nation hoped for prior to the 2018-19 campaign commencing. SU absolutely locked in its 2-3 zone on Wednesday night in Central New York, limiting No. 18 Louisville to 26-percent shooting from the field in a 69-49 drubbing.

Not only did the Orange (18-8, 9-4) excel on defense, but it also exhibited a competent performance on offense, something that did not occur in a decisive setback at N.C. State a week ago. Syracuse moved the ball around well, made 11 buckets from beyond the arc, and saw four guys generate double-figures in scoring. What’s more, the ‘Cuse prevailed on the glass and limited its turnovers to a reasonable amount.

The Cardinals (18-9, 9-5), meanwhile, proved dreadful against the vaunted zone. They continued to chuck up 3-pointer after 3-pointer, and only connected on 21 percent of those attempts. If not for Louisville’s 83-percent production from the charity stripe, it certainly could have experienced an even greater final deficit.

While SU’s overtime triumph at No. 1 Duke in mid-January is clearly its signature success of the current stanza, I would argue that the Orange’s outcome versus the Cardinals is its most-critical conquering. Why, might you ask? Well, save for the Blue Devils result, Syracuse had only bested one other ranked foe, then-No. 16 Ohio State in Columbus last November.

Besides that pair of achievements, the ‘Cuse possesses a Big Dance resume which is fairly pedestrian. It has defeated those crews which it should. Simultaneously, and unfortunately, SU has also fallen to a handful of so-so groups as well as higher-quality opponents, including several on the Hill. Feasting on lesser competition and not getting the job done against tougher foes is a recipe for sweating out Selection Sunday.

As such, this is why kicking Louisville’s butt is fantastically juicy. It gives the Orange a third marquee victory with five contests remaining before the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Syracuse, now in a tie for fourth place in the league standings with No. 16 Florida State, will witness a solid boost to its NCAA NET rating, a key metric for earning an at-large invite to March Madness.

In no way, shape or form is it a guarantee that the ‘Cuse will find itself in the field of 68, but SU is inching closer toward that goal. Up next is a date on Saturday evening with Duke. Things may get a little frenetic when the Blue Devils arrive in town.

"Check out this tweet from college-basketball insider Jon Rothstein: “Syracuse rolls Louisville by 20 at the Carrier Dome. Onondaga County will have a 2003 caliber feel on Saturday when the Orange host Duke. Bedlam coming in the 315.”"

You got that right, Jon.