Whether or not Syracuse basketball has any sliver of hope at re-entering the conversation for a Big Dance – or NIT – berth remains to be seen, however, the ‘Cuse can be a dangerous squad moving forward if it replicates what it did to Clemson on Tuesday night in Central New York.
Naturally, the Orange’s 91-78 dismantling of the Tigers is only one Atlantic Coast Conference clash, and let’s see how Syracuse basketball fares when it makes a trip to Duke this Saturday afternoon.
But amid a 2021-22 campaign that has witnessed the Orange (9-9, 3-4) often struggle, leaving the fan base quite frustrated, how the ‘Cuse took apart Clemson (10-8, 2-5) in the second half is nothing but an encouraging sign.
For me, there are a lot of positives to be found in the Orange’s 13-point triumph over the Tigers. A dominating second half. Prevailing on the glass. Shooting well from the field, from beyond the arc and at the charity stripe. Solid bench production. The list goes on and on.
The Syracuse basketball guard and center play, though, topped the list.
Against Clemson, the Orange’s three primary guards were simply fabulous. Senior Buddy Boeheim and junior Joe Girard III combined for 48 points. In totality, per ESPN statistics, they were 15-of-28 from the field, 8-of-14 from long range, and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Additionally, they combined for eight assists versus four turnovers, as well as all six of the team’s steals. Considering the grief that they both encounter from ‘Cuse fans for their defensive efforts, grabbing a half-dozen thefts was highly enjoyable to watch.
By extension, junior Symir Torrence made his presence known off the bench. He played 14 minutes, collecting four points, two assists, one rebound and zero turnovers.
If Torrence can consistently do those kinds of things as the main reserve guard, it will prove massive for Syracuse basketball throughout the remainder of 2021-22.
But for my money, the MVP of this win is junior center Jesse Edwards. Yes, he fouled out near the end. Those silly fouls have to get cleaned up.
Yet Edwards registered 34 minutes, tallying 15 points, 11 boards and four blocks. He was 4-of-6 from the field and a stellar 7-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Syracuse basketball was able to defeat the Tigers in large part due to a big disparity at the free-throw line, with Boeheim, Girard and Edwards leading in that department.
To date in 2021-22, Edwards is averaging 12.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in 28.7 minutes per affair, while hitting on an impressive 69.7 percent from the field.
In my humble opinion, his numbers on offense are the best on the Hill for a center dating back to 2014-15, when Rakeem Christmas was electric and got named an All-American.
For the ‘Cuse to succeed moving forward, Edwards and the team’s trio of guards will have to repeat their performances in the Orange’s convincing conquest of Clemson.