Syracuse Basketball: Judah Mintz put forth an All-American performance

Syracuse basketball sophomore point guard Judah Mintz was, simply put, sensational earlier this week when the Orange stomped on LSU at the JMA Wireless Dome in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

After the ‘Cuse crushed the Tigers, 80-57, buoyed by a dominating second half, Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry said it was the “best game” of Mintz’s career on the Hill.

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, in a post on X, called Mintz’s play versus LSU an “All-American caliber performance.”

I wholeheartedly agree with both of those sentiments. With its win over the Tigers, as Judah Mintz and sophomore forward Chris Bell led the way, the Orange improved to 5-2 so far in the 2023-24 season. The ‘Cuse, this Saturday afternoon, will open Atlantic Coast Conference competition by traveling to Virginia, with television coverage on ESPN2.

Syracuse basketball sophomore point guard Judah Mintz is playing at an ultra-high level.

Against LSU, Mintz poured in a career-best 33 points on 9-of-16 from the field, 2-of-2 from downtown and 13-of-15 from the free-throw line. He also tallied five rebounds, four assists and two steals, while possessing a positively massive “poster” dunk that swirled all around social media.

Only Mintz and Bell, who notched 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, scored in double-figures for the Orange, and it was enough to propel the ‘Cuse to a decisive triumph this past Tuesday night versus the Tigers (4-3).

As Autry detailed, Judah Mintz is so crafty at finding holes in an opponent’s defense, attacking the rim, getting to the charity stripe, and finishing through contact for and-one opportunities. LSU couldn’t stop him, and Mintz’s ability to score easy points at the free-throw line was especially important in the first half, when the Tigers and Syracuse basketball were engaged in a closely fought encounter.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Mintz, who hails from Fort Washington, Md., is generating some big-time numbers to date in 2023-24 for the Orange.

With the ‘Cuse preparing for a trip to Charlottesville, Va., on December 2, Judah Mintz is averaging 20.4 points, 4.1 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 2.6 turnovers per contest.

He’s connecting on 45.7 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc (an encouraging sign), and 79.4 percent from the charity stripe.

When I wrote this article, Judah Mintz within the ACC was No. 3 in points per game, No. 7 in assists per encounter, and No. 7 in steals per affair.

Per the NCAA’s Web site, at the time of this writing, Mintz checked in at No. 29 nationwide in points per game. On a national scale, he was also tied for No. 3 in total free throws made and No. 4 in total free throws attempted at this juncture in the young 2023-24 season.

I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, because the current term has a lot of games remaining for Syracuse basketball, but to me, Judah Mintz is playing like an All-American who can help lead the Orange back to the NCAA Tournament following a two-year absence.