Earlier this season, Brown gave North Carolina all that the Tar Heels could handle on their own turf in Chapel Hill, but Syracuse basketball flexed its muscles against the Bears on Monday night in Central New York.
More than two weeks had passed since the Orange last played a game during the 2021-22 campaign, due to Covid-19 protocols, but the ‘Cuse certainly didn’t look rusty in crushing Brown, 93-62, on the Hill.
The Orange raced out to a double-digit lead early in the first half, but the Bears didn’t go away. Brown sliced the ‘Cuse advantage to just six points at the break.
However, Syracuse basketball exploded in the second half, led by some tremendous 3-point shooting, crisp ball movement, and solid defense. In the second half, the Orange lit up the scoreboard, producing 30 points in the first nine minutes alone.
Syracuse basketball looked really strong in dismantling Brown.
As we noted in a column prior to Monday evening’s non-conference encounter, the Bears (8-6) have kept things close in a handful of losses to quality foes, including North Carolina.
But Brown was no match for the ‘Cuse (6-5, 1-0) in the second half, with the Orange buoyed by senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, junior point guard Joe Girard III and others.
Recently, multiple Syracuse basketball players tested positive for Covid-19, according to media reports. The Orange had to postpone two games.
So after such a long layoff, for Syracuse basketball to put forth this kind of effort versus a sneaky good foe, to me this is an encouraging outcome for the ‘Cuse.
Prior to this clash, Syracuse basketball had fallen in the same week to former Big East Conference rivals Villanova and Georgetown. The Orange was 5-5. Syracuse basketball fans were nervous.
The ‘Cuse has a lot of work to do to re-enter the conversation for the Big Dance next spring. Yet the team picked up a nice victory versus the Bears, with Central New York neighbor Cornell up next on Wednesday night at the Carrier Dome.
Let’s see if Syracuse basketball can grab some momentum as the calendar turns to a new year. Oh, and how lovely it was to see graduate student center Bourama Sidibe return to action, and for graduate student guard Chris LaValle to score a bucket toward the game’s conclusion.