Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim has struggled to explain it, but Syracuse has simply been a different team at home than on the road. It was never more evident than Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome, when SU (13-9, 5-4 Atlantic Coast) stole a win from No. 6 Florida State (18-4, 6-3), 82-72.

Here are three quick takeaways from the game.

Finally, a marquee win

For most of the season, Syracuse has looked nothing like a Top 25 team it began the year as. Losses to ranked opponents like Wisconsin, Notre Dame and North Carolina only further cemented that. But with its NCAA Tournament hopes on life support, the Orange finally has a signature win to lean back on. It’s going to take more than just Saturday afternoon’s win over the Seminoles to send SU into March Madness, but the 22nd game of the season could finally be Syracuse’s launching pad.

The Orange has four games remaining against ranked opponents in home matchups against No. 12 Virginia and No. 17 Duke, and a home-and-home series with No. 13 Louisville. Given SU’s winless road record, the contest at the KFC Yum! Center on Feb. 26 will have significant implications on any NCAA Tournament resume. That resume only exists because of Syracuse’s win over Florida State.

Second-half seesaw

The Orange played remarkably well for 20 minutes against the sixth-ranked team in the country, a team headlined with two future NBA draft picks in Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac. Syracuse shot 50 percent in the first half, but most of its immediate success can be credited to neutralizing the tandem of Bacon and Isaac. The talented duo only combined for nine points in the first half, but the ledger tilted quickly out of halftime.

An 18-point lead shrunk to two with about nine minutes remaining in the game after Bacon sunk an open jumper. That capped off a 32-16 run for the Seminoles, which started with nine quick points from Isaac. SU appeared transformed defensively in the first half, only to revert back to the stagnate defensive team it’s been throughout most of the year.

Tyler Lydon did his best to regain momentum for the hosts, burying a one-handed dunk on a missed 3-pointer from Tyus Battle. Minutes later he played quarterback, sending nearly a full-court pass ahead of Battle on a fast break. Battle kept the ball from going out of bounds and flung a pass back toward White in corner near SU’s bench. White rattled home a 3 to push the lead to 69-62. Both teams jockeyed for the lead up until the final minute or so, when Gillon’s eight free throws cemented the final score.

Role reversal

White and Lydon have spent all season shouldering Syracuse’s offense. White from behind the arc, Lydon everywhere else. While the duo combined for 38 points, it was defensively where SU’s two best players stood out most on Saturday. Lydon tied his career high with six blocks, and White nabbed four steals and nine rebounds.

Feeling comfortable in the 2-3 zone has taken White most of the season, something Boeheim said he didn’t necessarily expect out of his fifth-year transfers. He’s gradually become more involved defensively, but never more so than against Florida State. White tipped a handful of passes in the opening half, anticipating the Seminoles’ passes and where he could move in the zone without leaving a void.

He capped off the first half with a pair of steals, sparking two fast breaks that help net the Orange an 18-point halftime lead.

Lydon’s proving ground was sizably different. Playing center for most of the half, the sophomore matched up with FSU’s 7-foot-1 Michael Ojo and 7-foot-4 Christ Koumadje. He hung with the Seminoles towering centers, who only combined for two points in the opening stanza.

Published on January 28, 2017 at 2:20 pm

Contact Connor: cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman