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After a 16-day pause due to COVID-19, Syracuse (6-5, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) returned to the court to host Brown (8-6). Both teams had games postponed due to COVID-19 and squared off in Syracuse’s first game in the Carrier Dome in almost a month.

The Orange began the matchup with five straight 3s from four of the five starters. But the strong shooting from beyond the arc did not translate to the free-throw line as the Orange shot just 43.8%. What could’ve been a 15-point halftime lead became just a six-point lead as the missed free throws left points on the court.

But out of the halftime break, Buddy Boeheim scored 10 points in three minutes, which was as many points as he managed in the first half. His quick scoring provided a spark to the Orange’s offense that led to the 93-62 win as Syracuse returned to dominant fashion.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s 31-point win over Brown:

Red hot start from range

Tonight’s game started like most of Syracuse’s matchups this season — with a Jimmy Boeheim bucket. The forward flashed out to the wing, caught a pass from Joe Girard III and drained a 3-pointer to kick off the Orange’s scoring for the night.

But Jimmy wasn’t the only one to splash a 3 at the beginning of the game. On the ensuing possession, Girard brought the ball up in transition and dished a pass to Buddy in almost the exact same spot on the right-wing, and Buddy drained his 3 just like Jimmy had. Jimmy would cash in again from 3 before Girard decided it was his turn. The guard sped down the court after a Jesse Edwards block and took one dribble to the right before rising into his shot and draining a pull-up 3. Cole Swider would tack on a 3 of his own as four out of the five Syracuse starters hit a 3.

In all, Syracuse opened the game with five straight 3s to open on a 16-4 run.

Issues at the line

Syracuse entered halftime with just a six-point lead after playing with the lead the entire first half, leading by as much as 14. The Orange left nine points on the court due to missed free throws, however.

Swider drove down low into a crowd of players and drew a shooting foul in the first half. The senior entered the game shooting 88.9% from the line, the second-best percentage on the team. But Swider’s first shot bounced around the rim and out, only his fourth miss from the charity stripe of the season. Later in the half, the same play happened again, and Swider trudged back on defense without points.

Jimmy and Edwards were fouled the most by the Bears in the first half, with five shots at the line each. Jimmy was fouled on a 3-point shot and proceeded to make all three shots. But he missed both on his next trip to the line.

Edwards drew multiple fouls down low and split his shots both times, making and missing a free throw each. The center also missed his first free throw in a one-and-one situation. The Orange would end up under 50% in the first half as Brown slowly inched back into the game.

Buddy back in business

After being held under 10 points against Florida State and Villanova, Buddy scored 17 against Georgetown despite shooting just 7-for-18 from the field. But tonight Buddy dominated with 28 points. He started the first half with 10 points, but when it looked like Brown was a little too close for comfort, Buddy came out firing in the second half.

He first hit a wing 3 out of the halftime break before missing a runner. Still, Buddy followed his shot to put the miss back in for a layup. Then with Swider handling the ball, Buddy came off a screen for another 3 before tacking on a jumper to score 10 points in just three minutes.

Buddy would continue to lead the offense as the Orange began to pull away from the Bears en route to a comfortable win following a two-game losing skid.

Published on December 27, 2021 at 8:12 pm

Contact Gaurav: gshetty@syr.edu