Syracuse Basketball: Guards shine, SU is solid on boards and from deep

Syracuse basketball also takes care of the ball well in a win over Georgetown.

Syracuse basketball blew a massive lead last Wednesday versus Pittsburgh at home, and on Saturday evening from the Carrier Dome, the Orange found itself in a similar position against Georgetown.

The ‘Cuse built up a huge advantage versus the Hoyas only to see the majority of it evaporate. So, naturally, a lot of Orange fans out there, myself included, figured that the ‘Cuse would suffer a setback to Georgetown just as Syracuse basketball had in its affair with the Panthers.

But on Saturday night on the Hill in a bruising non-conference contest, the Orange didn’t wither away and succumb to defeat. Rather, the ‘Cuse hit some timely shots and made some timely plays to fend off the Hoyas, 74-69.

After the game, in a Zoom call with media members, head coach Jim Boeheim called it a “good win,” noting that Georgetown (3-8) has hung tough against every opponent it has faced despite a sub-par record.

Whereas this past Wednesday Pittsburgh destroyed the Orange on the glass, and the ‘Cuse was dreadful from beyond the arc, Syracuse basketball prevailed in the rebounding department against the Hoyas and connected on about 40 percent from 3-point land.

What encouraged me, even more, is that not only did the Orange (7-2) shoot a higher percentage versus Georgetown, but the team also took fewer shots from downtown and got to the charity stripe more.

Syracuse basketball bounced back in its bout with Georgetown.

I’ve said on several occasions of late that the ‘Cuse should focus on driving to the hoop more and relying on 3-pointers a tad less. Boeheim, though, believes that his roster consists more of jump-shooters than drivers.

So when his guards and wings, in particular, are hitting their shots, things will go well for Syracuse basketball, like against the Hoyas. When shots aren’t going in, the Orange will struggle, such as versus Pitt. I know, it’s not rocket science.

Sophomore point guard Joe Girard III and junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim didn’t fare well against the Panthers, and some ‘Cuse fans are ripping them on social media. However, in the Orange’s victory over Georgetown, Boeheim boasted 21 points and Girard tallied 18 points.

Jim Boeheim said that his son, Buddy, and Girard got into a shooting rhythm, enabling the team to grab an advantage and hold onto it. Syracuse basketball needs its starting guards to make shots to have successful outcomes, the head coach said.

It’s also worth pointing out that the ‘Cuse shared the ball quite well, dishing out 17 assists, and the Orange limited its number of turnovers to a totally respectable nine.

With this achievement, Syracuse basketball is now 52-44 all-time against the Hoyas, and the schools are 3-3 as non-conference foes since the ‘Cuse joined the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning with the 2013-14 season.

Armed with a 6-1 non-conference mark, the Orange gets back to ACC competition with a scheduled league battle on Tuesday evening at North Carolina.