Syracuse basketball is displaying an encouraging grittiness in grinding out successes.
Through seven games, Syracuse basketball is a more than solid 6-1, with its only loss to a top-25 Rutgers team on the road minus two of its starters.
Yet, as Orange head coach Jim Boeheim noted after his squad outlasted Buffalo, 107-96 in overtime, from the Carrier Dome on Saturday night, the ‘Cuse is a few plays away from possibly having a record much worse, say 3-4.
In the 2020-21 campaign opener, the Orange barely got by Bryant. And, over this past week, Syracuse basketball snuck by Northeastern and, most recently, Buffalo.
So depending on which way you slice things – glass half-full or glass half-empty – you can prognosticate that the ‘Cuse is demonstrating terrific grit and toughness in fighting out these victories.
Or, you can say that the Orange is barely beating good, but not great, squads – an indication that, perhaps, Syracuse basketball is in for a long 2020-21.
I’m an optimist. For me, that the ‘Cuse is winning games when playing poorly – games that it probably should end up losing – signifies a strong character and will.
Plus, while Bryant, Northeastern and Buffalo aren’t Gonzaga, Kansas and Duke, they are pretty darn good non-conference foes.
Boeheim said that the Buffalo squad his boys faced on Saturday evening is as good, if not better, as the Bulls group that defeated the Orange on the Hill about two years ago.
Against Buffalo, Syracuse basketball found itself trailing by as many as 16 points after intermission, yet the ‘Cuse never gave up, chipped away at the deficit, and ultimately pulled away from the Bulls in overtime.
Syracuse basketball may shoot woefully, but it manages to carve out conquests.
Think about this statistic for a second. In its past two meetings, against Buffalo and Northeastern, the Orange is a combined 5-of-37 from 3-point land, per ESPN, which equates to an abysmal 13.5 percent.
But, most importantly, the ‘Cuse is 2-0. That kind of fight, grit and toughness cannot be ignored, and it cannot be overstated, in my humble opinion.
The team’s mentality versus the Bulls, when dealing with such a huge deficit, was “one stop at a time,” junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim said via a Zoom call with media members.
To score more than 100 points while only connecting on a couple of attempts from downtown is “big for us,” Boeheim said, adding that this group handles adversity well, plays with poise, and is “just getting started.”
Jim Boeheim said when Syracuse basketball trailed by 16, “there was not much hope.” He described the comeback as “unbelievable” and a “tremendous effort,” noting that he is “really proud” of his players.
Well said, Coach B. I am, too.