A quick take on Syracuse’s 88-72 win against North Carolina State:
WHAT HAPPENED: It was a game of runs. The Orange used a 23-0 run in the first half to take a 47-33 lead going into halftime. But the Wolfpack quickly erased the lead in the second half, storming out of intermission with a 13-1 run. NC State eventually tied the game at 54 after CJ Williams emphatically put back a Scott Wood missed 3-pointer. But faced with its first true road test of the season, SU made the final run of the game. This time it was an 11-2 run fueled by a pair of Scoop Jardine 3-pointers that put the Orange up 74-63, and in control for the rest of the game.
ANALYSIS: There has been so much made about how Syracuse hasn’t played a “true” road game in the past three years. Well, the Orange played one, and it passed the test. Two separate times, the Orange withstood runs from a spirited NC State team and was able to keep its composure and take (or retake) the lead. Syracuse’s bench also played a major role in the game, as James Southerland and Dion Waiters led the first Syracuse run. But Syracuse’s two veterans, Jardine and Joseph, took over down the stretch, as the Orange will survive its first week at the No. 1 spot.
HERO: Plenty of heroes for Syracuse across the line. Joseph (21), Jardine (16), Waiters (22) and Fair (11) were all in double digits for the Orange.
ZERO: Scott Wood, a dangerous sharpshooter, was held in check, as he was 2-for-6 from downtown for eight points.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Orange will play Bucknell on Tuesday in Syracuse, NY at 7 p.m. on Time Warner Cable Sports/SNY.
