Syracuse Basketball: Tyus Battle takes care of business in win over Wake Forest

The Syracuse basketball squad did what they were supposed to in a massive beatdown of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Here’s how it all unfolded.

This win for the Syracuse basketball squad over Wake Forest won’t be a highlight on the resume, but it won’t be a detriment either. Here’s how it all played out on Saturday afternoon.

Let’s be honest about this game, Syracuse is clearly the better team and they displayed that early and often.

The Orange were really able to bully Wake Forest around. I’ve never seen a team so discombobulated by simple basketball gameplans. The Orange would do two or three passes and the Demon Deacons would be out of place. SU hasn’t had a game this season where buckets were this easy to come by.

Speaking of easy, Elijah Hughes was making it look easy throughout the first half. This was clearly the best half of the season for Syracuse with Hughes doing things that didn’t just include the three-point shot.

My struggle with Hughes this season has been his complacency with his long-range shot. I know he can do more as a complete basketball player, but for whatever reason, he hasn’t worked on those parts of his game.

Needless to say, I was a proud papa in that first half, although I feel the need to say I have no relation with Elijah Hughes, just clarifying.

Syracuse continued to assert their dominance, but Wake Forest wouldn’t go away. Give credit where credit is due, the Demon Deacons are at home and they weren’t going away without a fight.

Several times this season Wake has taken out teams that are clearly better than them: look at NC State and Miami as examples.

First-half takeaways: 

• Syracuse struggled from beyond the arc (shooting 2-of-10).
• The battle of the boards between the Orange and Wake Forest was won by the Demon Deacons: 20-14.
• Not a ton of fouls called, as opposed to the last game that was played between Syracuse and North Carolina. Only seven total free throws were attempted in the first half.
• Tyus Battle was exceptional going 6-of-9 from the field leading both teams in points with 13.

Second half

I don’t think I’ll ever understand Tyus Battle and what I mean by that is his propensity for making a high level of difficulty shots. When he’s wide-open he doesn’t have the same success, yet some intangible quality about him raises his level of play in those situations.

Battle made back-to-back buckets to put Syracuse up 46-35 with 16 minutes and change remaining in the second half.

Speaking of guard play, quick aside I love Frank Howard playing off the ball with Tyus predominantly running the point. Frank looks so much more natural out there and he doesn’t have to force anything, he can just be him, which is good for the Orange.

Speaking of good for the Orange, Paschal Chukwu converting and one opportunities. Chukwu is in his final season with Syracuse and how his career will be perceived is in his hands. With under 15 minutes remaining he was able to catch a lob pass, readjust and get the layup and foul.

Syracuse really started to close its hands around the throat powered by a 20-2 run over a seven-minute stretch in the second half.

I mean Wake Forest allows more points per game than they score, that’s never ideal. So there was a strong case to be made that this wouldn’t be an offensive shootout between these two ACC teams.

The 2-3 zone had its’ best showing of the entire season forcing countless turnovers that led to easy baskets on the other end for Syracuse.

Consider this the Syracuse defense held Wake without a field goal in a span of 11 minutes in the second half which led to a 17-1 run for the Orange. Syracuse then coasted to an easy 79-54 win over the Demon Deacons.

Final takeaways:

• Brandon Childress finished with five points. We talked about it before the game with all due respect the Demon Deacons had one guy that the Orange should fear. The gameplan was pretty simple, stop him and you win the game emphatically. I guess that strategy worked.
• Wake Forest ended up with 23 turnovers in this one. Credit has to be given both ways on this one. Wake was awful on their own, but the 2-3 zone was stifling as well.
• Syracuse shot a crisp 54 percent from the field. The level of difficulty for the majority of the game on SU’s shots was incredibly easy which led to the phenomenal percentage.
• Tyus Battle hauled in 21 points (that’s his 14th time with over 20 points this season).
• The Orange are now above .500 in conference for just the third time since joining the ACC.

Up next for Syracuse is their final home game of the season vs the Virginia Cavaliers on Monday evening. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Carrier Dome, to learn more about the closeness of this rivalry since Syracuse joined the ACC, read here.