Syracuse Basketball: Starting guards had Covid, let’s cut them some slack

Syracuse basketball starting guards Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard III have had their fair share of struggles during the 2020-21 campaign, and a lot of Orange fans have really laid into them both on social media.

Getting frustrated with Boeheim’s and Girard’s play is understandable, particularly since the team had lost three of four before crushing Miami on Tuesday evening from the Carrier Dome.

However, even though both of them have lacked consistency so far this term, sophomore point guard Girard and junior shooting guard Boeheim each tallied 23 points in the ‘Cuse demolition of the Hurricanes in a pivotal Atlantic Coast Conference clash for Syracuse basketball on the Hill.

Head coach Jim Boeheim, in his post-game Zoom call with media members after the win over Miami, praised his starting guards for putting forth perhaps their best performances, individually, of the entire season to date.

Boeheim also said in his virtual call that his son, Buddy, and Girard each had gotten sick with Covid-19 during the Orange’s most recent pause.

Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the ‘Cuse, much like many other college teams around the country, has postponed games and gone on long pauses without official practices due to Covid-19 protocols.

After besting Buffalo in overtime in mid-December, the Orange had to halt basketball-related activities for an extended period of time. The ‘Cuse would resume games on Jan. 6, when Pittsburgh made a massive comeback and stunned Syracuse basketball in Central New York.

Syracuse basketball guards Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard III previously tested positive for Covid-19.

Per ESPN statistics, Boeheim is averaging 16.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per encounter, while connecting on 39.6 percent from the field, 87.5 percent from the charity stripe and 29.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Girard, meanwhile, is registering 11.3 points, 3.1 boards, 4.2 assists a game, while hitting on 34.4 percent from the field, 87.0 percent from the free-throw line and 36.3 percent from deep.

So, yeah, one could say that both Boeheim and Girard have numbers that certainly could improve. And I get that some ‘Cuse fans are also frustrated at times by how Boeheim and Girard fare in the 2-3 zone, especially with freshman combo guard Kadary Richmond playing so well on defense.

All of that being said, Boeheim and Girard each got sick with Covid-19. That’s some serious stuff that we now all know about. Expecting the two starting guards to shine game after game, with no sub-par outings here and there, is unfair and probably unrealistic.

Girard said in his own Zoom call that he and Boeheim don’t like to make excuses. I admire that. But in any event, we should all cut them a little bit of slack.