For a Syracuse basketball squad that has often struggled in its zone defense throughout the 2021-22 campaign, the Orange’s defense certainly wasn’t the problem on Saturday night in a 12-point setback at Virginia Tech.
That 71-59 loss snapped a four-contest winning streak for the ‘Cuse (13-12, 7-7). Virginia Tech (15-10, 7-7), meanwhile, is playing as well as any group in the Atlantic Coast Conference, having now captured five triumphs in a row.
As we noted late last week, the Hokies entered this league showdown as the conference’s No. 1 3-point shooting team, connecting on about 42 percent from beyond the arc.
Against the Orange’s somewhat inconsistent defense, though, Virginia Tech hit on just 29.6 percent from downtown and 38.3 percent from the field as a whole, according to ESPN statistics.
In his post-game press conference, Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim praised the team’s defense. The ‘Cuse tied the Hokies on the glass, at 41 rebounds.
Sure, the Orange committed some sloppy turnovers, and the disparity at the free-throw line was atrocious. In the end, however, it was the ‘Cuse offense that plagued the Orange in this defeat, Boeheim said.
Syracuse basketball really struggled with its shot-making versus Virginia Tech.
Limiting the Hokies, a great shooting group, to 71 points is solid. And credit the ‘Cuse for storming back from a 10-point deficit at the intermission to tie this encounter at 54-54 with roughly six minutes to go.
But down the stretch, the Hokies outscored the Orange 17-5 to come away with a double-digit victory. Boeheim noted that his players had some open looks in the game’s waning minutes, and really throughout the entire affair. The shots, unfortunately, just weren’t falling.
Part of that is due to Virginia Tech owning a strong defense. The Hokies were only allowing 62.0 points per game entering this contest, which was No. 2 in the ACC.
Scoring a mere 59 points isn’t going to cut it for this 2021-22 Syracuse basketball roster. Sophomore center Frank Anselem was a beast on the boards, and junior point guard Joe Girard III shot pretty well.
But senior forward Cole Swider, who had been on a tear of late, struggled from the field. So, too, did senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim and graduate student forward Jimmy Boeheim.
Collectively, the Orange hit on 37.5 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from 3-point land, while generating one point at the charity stripe.
Jim Boeheim, recognizing that Virginia Tech is a good team on a hot streak, said his players fought with a lot of heart. When the shots don’t fall, however, it’s rough sledding for the ‘Cuse to prevail.
Said Boeheim, “Our offense was terrible.”