Syracuse Basketball: Orange got smashed on glass in loss at Notre Dame

Syracuse basketball sorely missed junior center Jesse Edwards in the team’s 10-point loss at Notre Dame on Wednesday evening.

I give all the credit in the world to the Orange (15-13, 9-8) for clawing its way back from a double-digit deficit in the second half against the Fighting Irish inside Purcell Pavilion.

Yet the ‘Cuse couldn’t contain Notre Dame in the rebounding arena, and that doomed Syracuse basketball in a 79-69 setback to the Fighting Irish (20-8, 13-4).

There’s no shame in falling to one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s best squads away from the Carrier Dome. And the Orange was right there with Notre Dame in the game’s waning minutes.

But with the injured Edwards unavailable, a Fighting Irish group that isn’t all that stellar on the boards absolutely walloped the ‘Cuse on the glass, and from my perspective, that was the difference in the eventual outcome.

Syracuse basketball had no answer for Notre Dame in the rebounding department.

Per ESPN statistics, the Fighting Irish outrebounded the Orange by a final margin of 41-28. To make matters worse, Syracuse basketball corralled just three offensive rebounds, as compared to 11 for Notre Dame.

In the second half, the Fighting Irish stretched its advantage to double-digits, and many ‘Cuse fans probably figured this ACC affair was over.

But Syracuse basketball, which has a gritty roster in the 2021-22 stanza, mounted a comeback on the road. In the last couple of minutes, the Notre Dame lead shrunk to three points.

The Fighting Irish missed a shot, but as often happened in this encounter, a Notre Dame player grabbed the offensive rebound. He was fouled, made two free throws, and the advantage increased to five points.

That play encapsulated the Orange’s woes versus the Fighting Irish. The ‘Cuse committed only seven turnovers and connected on about 46 percent from the field.

However, the Orange’s issues on the boards, and the team hitting on just 26 percent from beyond the arc, were the two primary reasons why Syracuse basketball lost at Notre Dame.

Buddy Boeheim, a senior shooting guard, and Jimmy Boeheim, a graduate student forward, were fabulous, combining for 47 points, but the rest of the Orange line-up by and large struggled, particularly at the center spot.

A few weeks back, Edwards suffered a wrist injury in the ‘Cuse victory at Boston College, sadly cutting short his 2021-22 term. His presence on both ends of the floor was severely missed on Wednesday night.

As I noted prior to this league duel, the Fighting Irish’s rebounding average per game had been toward the bottom of the ACC. But playing in front of a home crowd against an Orange squad without its starting center, Notre Dame looked like an absolute beast on the boards.