Syracuse basketball is displaying a ton of heart during its four-contest success streak, and that will serve the Orange well during its stretch run.
It’s a tired tale at this juncture in the 2019-20 campaign that Syracuse basketball possesses a relatively inexperienced and young roster. I’ve written about it on countless occasions, and, while facts are facts, this team is currently competing way beyond its collective years.
The Orange, suiting up versus Notre Dame on Wednesday night at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind., withstood a bunch of crazy swings to notch an 84-82 triumph, its fourth Atlantic Coast Conference conquest in a row, which also includes a trio outside of Central New York.
Both crews shot lights out in the affair’s beginning, but the Fighting Irish (11-7, 2-5) eventually built up an 11-point edge. No worries. The ‘Cuse (12-7, 5-3) roared back to snag a four-point advantage at the break.
After intermission, Syracuse stormed out of the gates, going up by as many as 13 points. But Notre Dame wouldn’t roll over, the Orange went cold from the field, and the Fighting Irish would regain the lead.
With Notre Dame having all the momentum, and the ‘Cuse residing in a hostile environment, one could certainly understand if Syracuse ended up folding. But the Orange, yet again, demonstrated grit and toughness in the meeting’s waning minutes to reach 4-0 in league road tilts.
For one, the ‘Cuse remained composed. Syracuse guys made big plays despite intense pressure from the Fighting Irish. The Orange performed admirably from the charity stripe, it out-rebounded Notre Dame by seven, and the ‘Cuse only committed eight miscues.
Furthermore, a positive trend continues onward, as Syracuse connected on 23-of-40 attempts from before the 3-point line. That’s quite encouraging, particularly in encounters when the Orange isn’t crushing it from deep.
The ‘Cuse, known throughout collegiate hoops as primarily a 3-point shooting group, hit on a mere 30.8 percent from beyond the arc versus the Fighting Irish – and still prevailed. With a credible paint existence, Syracuse has transformed into a more balanced and complete offensive threat, and that’s critical if the Orange wants to stay in the win column with challenging duels lurking on the horizon.
Yes, it’s true that the ‘Cuse has allowed 88 and 82 points, respectively, to Notre Dame in their pair of regular-stanza bouts. That’s not great. Keep in mind, however, that the Fighting Irish is a difficult match-up for Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, since Notre Dame has a strong perimeter attack and a dominating inside presence.
Not to look too far ahead, but if the Orange can take care of business on the Hill this Saturday against Pittsburgh, and also at Clemson on Jan. 28, then the ‘Cuse will enter its battle with Duke at the Carrier Dome on February 1 with a huge amount of confidence.
One game at a time, for sure. I get it. It’s just that Syracuse is faring well, the season may have turned around, and things are fun right about now.