Syracuse v. Princeton — What we learned

Princeton
Princeton

The Orange took down the Princeton Tigers 73-53 in the Carrier Dome tonight. The score doesn’t really reflect how close the game actually was. Princeton cut the lead to six at one point in the second half but Syracuse regained its composure and pulled away.

Here are my thoughts from the game:

Princeton
Southerland (right) scored a career-high 22 points (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

1. Options, Options, Options

This Orange team has some scorers, that’s for sure. Tonight, five different players scored in double figures and on any given night, eight have the potential to. And what I love about this offense is you never know who is going to go off and score huge numbers on a given night. Tonight, it was James Southerland’s turn as he scored a career-high 22 points. But virtually any other player in the rotation has the potential to have a game like Southerland had tonight.

» Related: Orange outlast Tigers

2. Keep your head in the game, Brandon.

All basketball players have bad nights and Brandon Triche found himself in that position tonight. The shots just weren’t falling for him. He was 3-for-11 from the field and 0-for-3 from deep and he let it effect him in all aspects of his game. You can be shooting poorly but still make a huge impact but he clearly wasn’t feeling it. He turned the ball over 5 times and lacked the energy and aggressiveness that we hope to see from him.

» What were your thoughts from the game? Discuss.

3. Coleman’s defense is a liability.

His offense is starting to come around. He’s making nice post moves around the basket. He’s getting follow up buckets and rebounds when we need him to. But he only played 16 minutes tonight. Why? Because we cant afford his lax defense. Coach Boeheim was constantly chewing out Coleman tonight for letting 6-foot-4 guards drive by him for layups. He’ll get there, but he’s just not ready yet.

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.