This is the Syracuse basketball squad we all had hoped for when the 2021-22 campaign commenced last November.
Sure, Louisville is struggling, as we outlined in a column prior to this Atlantic Coast Conference showdown getting underway. But the Orange still absolutely pummeled the Cardinals on Saturday afternoon in Central New York.
The ‘Cuse (12-11, 6-6) is back above the .500 mark, having won three league encounters in a row. I recognize that Louisville (11-12, 5-8) isn’t great this season. Nor is N.C. State, a group that Syracuse basketball bested by seven points last week on the road.
However, last weekend, on Saturday night in prime-time, the Orange also blasted one of the ACC’s top squads, Wake Forest, by 22 points on the Hill.
Over these last three triumphs, Syracuse basketball is averaging more than 90 points per affair, while shooting well above 50 percent from both the field and from beyond the arc.
Syracuse basketball, at least on offense, is clicking on all cylinders.
Against the Cardinals, a ‘Cuse zone defense that has had its shares of struggles throughout 2021-22 held Louisville to just 26 first-half points and 69 points in total, as Syracuse basketball dispatched of this foe, 92-69, before a really amped-up crowd at the Carrier Dome.
In all fairness, Louisville isn’t a terrific shooting team this year, although the Orange zone limited the Cardinals to fewer than 30 percent from 3-point land, which was highly encouraging for the ‘Cuse.
Additionally, Syracuse basketball prevailed in the rebounding department, something that it has often done in ACC competition. Orange players certainly need to cut down on the turnovers that they commit.
Yet the ‘Cuse was tremendously balanced with its scoring, as all five starters tallied at least 11 points, but none of the team’s starters collected more than 19 points.
In its offensive sets, Syracuse basketball shared the ball with precision, generating a sizable number of assists on its made buckets.
Finally, and this is always a hot-button issue for the bevy of Orange fans in 2021-22, but the squad’s three primary reserves put forth solid contributions.
Collectively, freshman forward Benny Williams, sophomore center Frank Anselem and junior guard Symir Torrence earned about 35 minutes of court time and chipped in 14 points. That’s super great to see.
Immediately following this blowout conquest of the Cardinals by the ‘Cuse, I noticed a handful of Syracuse basketball fans suggest on social media that perhaps the Orange could run the table the rest of the 2021-22 stanza and maybe, just maybe, sneak into the Big Dance.
My personal take is that it will prove quite challenging for the ‘Cuse to go undefeated the rest of the way, with ACC clashes versus Duke, North Carolina and others lurking in the near future.
Without question, though, Syracuse basketball has found its mojo and has built up some really positive momentum. If its offense keeps up this pace, and the defense is credible, the Orange will be in an excellent position to defeat Boston College on the road this Tuesday.