Officiating was suspect, but Syracuse basketball had its chances to prevail

In the seconds and minutes after Syracuse basketball lost a heart-breaker on the road this week for the second time to an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, I saw a lot of Orange fans take to social media to opine that the referees lost this game for the ‘Cuse.

While I always, always respect my fellow Orange fans, I do not concur with this assessment. Yes, the refs made a couple of questionable calls – or no-calls – at pivotal moments on Saturday afternoon from the LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.

However, Syracuse basketball absolutely could have, and perhaps should have, knocked off Wake Forest regardless of the officiating. Instead, the Orange (7-8, 1-3) fell to the Demon Deacons in overtime, 77-74.

Officiating aside, the ‘Cuse connected on dreadful shooting percentages from the field as a whole and from beyond the arc. In a surprise twist, the Orange was strong from the charity stripe.

Syracuse basketball missed a big opportunity for a big road win.

Okay, let’s get the officiating out of the way here. If you take a look at the box score from this ACC clash on the ESPN Web site, there is certainly a huge disparity in the number of fouls called on the ‘Cuse versus Wake Forest (13-3, 3-2).

The same applies to the number of instances in which Syracuse basketball went to the free-throw line, as compared to the Demon Deacons.

Toward the end of regulation, the Orange was clinging to a two-point lead. The ball was thrown into senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim in the short corner.

It appeared that the ball touched a Wake Forest defender, and not Boeheim, before going out of bounds. Still, the possession was awarded to the Demon Deacons, and they scored a bucket to send this contest into an extra session.

If the ball was given to Syracuse basketball, perhaps it would have gone on to win. But maybe the ‘Cuse has a turnover on its next offensive possession or misses the front-end of a one-and-one from the free-throw line. Who really knows.

Then, in the overtime period, it was pretty clear that senior forward Cole Swider was fouled as he attempted a 3-pointer, but the officials missed it. That could have changed the complexion of this league encounter in the midst of a tight game. But maybe Swider misses a free throw or two. Again, who really knows.

What I can say here is that Wake Forest went to the charity stripe a lot more than Syracuse basketball. In the second half, though, the Demon Deacons clanged so many attempts from the line. Did the Orange fully capitalize on this? Nope.

Additionally, the ‘Cuse was hot early on from downtown, but then it was basically ice cold from the perimeter for the remainder of this match-up. Whether the refs were awful or not, if Syracuse basketball makes just one or two more 3-point attempts, the Orange triumphs. The WF defense was solid, in my humble opinion.

I give all the credit in the world to ‘Cuse players for fighting hard in a hostile environment. After trailing by two points at halftime, the Orange bolted out of the gates after the break and grabbed an eight-point edge.

Wake Forest would storm back, but Syracuse basketball didn’t fold. The ‘Cuse hung in there until the last possession of overtime, when the Orange missed two challenging attempts from deep in an effort to tie the game.

The Demon Deacons are a good squad. Syracuse basketball won in the rebounding department, and the ‘Cuse drastically reduced its number of turnovers.

Sure, the Orange being mired in a three-affair losing streak, all by a combined nine points, is frustrating. But it’s not like the ‘Cuse is getting blown out.

Did the officials appear to mess up a handful of times in Winston-Salem? Yes. Should Syracuse basketball have bested Wake Forest? Probably. Let’s also remember that junior center Jesse Edwards, a pivotal piece of the ‘Cuse line-up, committed a foul or two that he shouldn’t have, and him fouling out was a dagger for SU.

It is what it is. The Orange has to regroup and get ready for an upcoming three-game home-stand, with Pittsburgh first coming to Central New York this Tuesday night.