Syracuse basketball showed what it’s capable of in stifling a top ACC team

So much for Syracuse basketball struggling on the offensive end of the floor.

After averaging 56 points per game on offense in two recent road losses, at Duke and at Pittsburgh, the Orange absolutely exploded on Saturday night in a dominating performance against Wake Forest before a boisterous Carrier Dome crowd.

The ‘Cuse scored in droves after intermission, producing a 55-30 advantage in the second half that resulted in an impressive 94-72 victory versus the Demon Deacons, a group that is among the best squads to date in the Atlantic Coast Conference during the 2021-22 campaign.

I’m not saying this triumph for the Orange (10-11, 4-6) is going to suddenly vault the team into the conversation for a Big Dance berth this spring.

The ‘Cuse has to show that it can repeat this kind of outing as Syracuse basketball enters its stretch run in the 2021-22 regular season. At the same time, pummeling Wake Forest (17-5, 7-4) certainly illustrated that the Orange is capable of beating high-quality opponents.

Syracuse basketball played its best contest of 2021-22 in besting the Demon Deacons.

Everyone got into the party in the Orange’s win over Wake Forest. The three primary reserves for the ‘Cuse totaled 33 minutes of run, which was naturally received well by the fan base.

Those key bench players, freshman forward Benny Williams, junior guard Symir Torrence and sophomore center Frank Anselem, all contributed in meaningful ways. Anselem was particularly solid, grabbing seven points and six rebounds in 17 minutes.

Senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim and senior forward Cole Swider shot wonderfully from the field, as they poured in 30 points and 18 points, respectfully. Junior point guard Joe Girard III also chipped in a couple of big buckets.

A few things stood out to me in this game. For one, Syracuse basketball players committed just five turnovers. The Orange held its own on the glass.

The ‘Cuse, per ESPN statistics, connected on exquisite 57.1 percent from the field and a tremendous 52.6 percent from downtown. The key here, though, is that Syracuse basketball proved highly efficient from 3-point land, while focusing its offense, by and large, inside the perimeter.

To that end, the Orange attempted 63 shots, but only 19 of those attempts were from deep. I recognize that the ‘Cuse is a perimeter-focused group, however, I also believe that Syracuse basketball making a concerted effort to shoot from closer in serves this team well.

Additionally, while the Orange allowed 72 points on defense to Wake Forest, that is about eight points below the Demon Deacons’ scoring average for 2021-22. And holding Wake Forest to only 30 points in the second half was undeniably encouraging.

It’s only one result, that’s true. But for a fan base clamoring for a high-octane effort from the ‘Cuse, what occurred Saturday evening on the Hill was truly a sight to see.

Syracuse basketball next travels to N.C. State this Wednesday night, and hopefully, the Orange can build upon this conquest of the Demon Deacons and go on a success streak.