Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry says that his players lacked discipline on both ends of the floor in the game's final minutes after the Orange had clawed back to tie things up against Clemson on Saturday afternoon in Central New York.
The Tigers, buoyed by an excellent game from former SU guard Joe Girard III, led by as many as 15 points in the first half. However, with 3:37 to go in the second half, a made jumper by sophomore guard J.J. Starling netted the score at 60 points for both teams, and the 'Cuse fan base got loud as a possible quadrant-one victory for the Orange came to fruition.
Yet in those final three minutes and 37 seconds, Clemson would outscore Syracuse basketball, 17-8, to ultimately prevail on the road by a final count of 77-68.
Amid an emotional last 10 days - where the 'Cuse fell twice on the road, saw junior forward Benny Williams dismissed from the program, and then secured a nerve-wracking two-point victory over Louisville on the Hill earlier this week - I credit Orange players for overcoming a 15-point deficit to tie the score with a good Tigers team. But the last few minutes were a disaster.
Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry wasn't happy with the team's end-of-game execution.
The 'Cuse defense (15-9, 6-7 in the ACC), which not long ago was in the top 35 nationally via KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency, has struggled lately. The Orange allowed 80 points to Boston College and 99 points to Wake Forest, both on the road, last week, and then the 'Cuse gave up 92 points to Louisville at home this past Wednesday evening.
With that as context, Syracuse basketball actually played solid defense in the first half on Saturday afternoon versus Clemson. Autry, in his post-game press conference, said the team's man-to-man defense had "more pop" than in other recent games.
🎥 @CoachRedAutry's postgame press conference pic.twitter.com/XuZCE8U4X6
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) February 10, 2024
In the first half, the offense was the problem, as the Orange was stagnant, not moving the ball enough to open up driving lanes while also not taking a lot of good shots, according to the head coach.
After the break, Autry praised his squad for settling down some and coming back to tie the score at 60 in the final four minutes. Yet in that last 3:37 of this pivotal Atlantic Coast Conference clash, Autry said 'Cuse players weren't disciplined on either end of the floor. Syracuse basketball didn't execute well on defense, and on offense, the team's shot selection was poor, among other things.
While Autry acknowledged that Girard had an excellent game, and I think we can all agree Clemson (16-7, 6-6 in the ACC) is a strong squad, the Orange boss also said that the 'Cuse has to make "better plays together" as a collective unit.
"I think it's all us," Autry said. That's what he says frustrated him the most - Syracuse basketball fought back, tied things up and then fell apart. "It's us," Autry said.
I'm not making any excuses, but I will say this: Clemson is a veteran team with a 2023-24 roster filled with juniors and seniors (Girard is a graduate student).
With sophomore big man Peter Carey out on Saturday afternoon, the Orange was down to basically eight scholarship players - six sophomores, a junior in center Mounir Hima who barely plays, and a redshirt sophomore in guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. who hasn't received any minutes over the past two affairs.
The Tigers' experience, and the relative youth of the 'Cuse, to me, showed in those final few minutes. As for Cuffe not playing of late, Autry said that is a coach's decision and Cuffe is physically "fine."
The Syracuse basketball head coach, when asked about Carey, said he didn't know how long the sophomore center might be out after suffering an upper-body injury during a recent practice.