Syracuse Basketball: Robert Braswell kept SU in game, Jim Boeheim says

Syracuse basketball forward Robert Braswell played quite well versus Pittsburgh.

Full disclosure, ever since Robert Braswell arrived on the Hill as part of the Syracuse basketball 2018 recruiting class, I’ve been high on him.

He hasn’t gotten a whole lot of run during his tenure in Central New York, but the redshirt sophomore forward in his limited court time has displayed tremendous athleticism. Braswell can shoot the rock well from deep, and he excels on defense.

His shooting proficiency was certainly the talk of the game after the Orange fell in heart-breaking fashion to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference foe Pittsburgh on Wednesday evening from the Carrier Dome.

In the ‘Cuse 63-60 setback, Braswell suited up for 20 minutes. He connected on 4-of-5 from 3-point land and finished with 12 points. Considering that the team as a collective unit went just 12-of-38 from long range, Braswell was a positive offensive force in an otherwise dismal shooting output from the Orange.

Frequently to date in the 2020-21 campaign, freshman Woody Newton has proven the first forward off of the bench to get into games for Syracuse basketball.

However, after the ‘Cuse emerged from its most recent pause due to Covid-19 protocols and began practicing, head coach Jim Boeheim said in a Zoom call with media members that Braswell had been participating in those practices, whereas Newton was not, because he “was in isolation.”

With sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier in foul trouble against the Panthers, that led Boeheim to give Braswell more minutes than usual. And Braswell delivered the goods.

Syracuse basketball forward Robert Braswell showed what he’s capable of versus Pitt.

Despite having a 14-point advantage at halftime, the Orange by and large struggled shooting the ball after intermission, enabling Pittsburgh to mount a huge comeback and eventually squeak out a victory on the road.

It was Braswell who kept the ‘Cuse in this ACC clash, Boeheim said, noting that Braswell played well on both offense and defense. Boeheim added that without Braswell, Syracuse basketball “wouldn’t have had a chance” to prevail.

In the second half, Braswell made three-straight shots from downtown, helping the Orange to maintain its lead. Unfortunately, his teammates couldn’t get their shots to fall after halftime, and the Panthers’ prowess on the glass and in second-chance points sunk the ‘Cuse, which had won seven in a row against Pitt.

Senior power forward/center Marek Dolezaj, in the virtual call with reporters following the Pittsburgh affair, wasn’t surprised by Braswell’s stat line.

Dolezaj said that Braswell performed quite well and is “a really good player.” The kind of game that Braswell had versus the Panthers “proved to everybody” what he can do, Dolezaj added.