Syracuse Basketball: Top takeaways as Florida State hands ‘Cuse first home loss

Syracuse basketball suffered its first setback at the JMA Wireless Dome during the 2023-24 season on Tuesday night, as Florida State wore the Orange down in a 16-point win for the Seminoles.

The ‘Cuse (13-6, 4-4 in the ACC) had won two straight but fell flat against FSU on the Hill. Save for sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, who had a game-high 28 points, the Orange got little help on the offensive end as Florida State erupted in the second half after trailing by one point at the break.

The Seminoles (12-7, 6-2 in the ACC) may not have an overly stellar record to date in the current term, but this is a good squad that is playing well these days and is in the thick of the race for the No. 2 spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s pecking order, behind third-ranked North Carolina.

Utilizing a deep bench, FSU heavily relied on a full-court press that appeared to weigh on the Orange, which committed a flood of turnovers and had a one-dimensional offense consisting solely of Mintz in the second half.

The result was an 85-69 triumph for the Seminoles on the road, and a quadrant-three loss for the ‘Cuse based on FSU’s NCAA NET ranking at the time of this writing.

Here are some key observations as Syracuse basketball got beat by Florida State.

•Entering this ACC clash, the Orange was in the top 30 via KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency. Yet the ‘Cuse, in the second half, allowed 50 points to the Seminoles.

•Mintz carried Syracuse basketball with his 28 points. Sophomore guard J.J. Starling was the only other Orange player to notch double-figures in scoring, as he tallied 10 points.

•Sophomore big man Maliq Brown battled foul trouble after the intermission, but he did finish with eight points and 12 rebounds.

•Redshirt sophomore guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. produced seven points, while junior forward Benny Williams added four points and eight boards.

•The ‘Cuse was miserable from beyond the arc, going 1-of-14. FSU, conversely, went 6-of-17 from deep. From the field as a whole, the Orange hit on 44.2 percent, while Florida State went for 49.2 percent.

•While Syracuse basketball scored seven more points from the free-throw line than the Seminoles, the Orange connected on just 22-of-33 from the charity stripe.

•Buoyed by Brown and Williams, the ‘Cuse did hold a small edge on the glass, at 38-35.

•Syracuse basketball committed a whopping 16 turnovers, as compared to only nine for FSU. The Seminoles held advantages of 12-11 in points off turnovers, 14-8 in second-chance points, 50-40 in paint points, 29-16 in bench points, 15-7 in assists and 10-5 in steals.

•The Orange led 6-1 in blocks and 15-10 in fast-break points.

•With this outcome, Florida State snapped a two-contest skid to the ‘Cuse. In their all-time series, Syracuse basketball is now 10-7 versus FSU.

•Up next, the Orange will conclude its three-game home stand when Syracuse basketball hosts N.C. State on Saturday, Jan. 27. The tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm, with television coverage on the ACC Network.