Syracuse v. Eastern Michigan — What we learned

emu
NBA scouts got a taste of MCW's ability

Syracuse used a strong second half effort to cruise past Eastern Michigan, 84-48. Here are a few thoughts from the game:

1. Baye stays consistent.

A big man presence behind Rakeem Christmas and Dajuan Coleman is exactly what the Orange needed this season. The consistent play of Baye Keita has been a huge part of Syracuse’s success this season. Keita has scored in each of the first six games and has only missed three shots, shooting 77% on the year. He’s also averaging five rebounds a game, a contribution the Orange desperately needs, as the team often struggles on the glass.

emu
NBA scouts got a taste of MCW’s ability

2. The curse is broken.

He did it! Trevor Cooney finally hit a three-pointer! After missing all 15 three-pointers taken in the past three games, Cooney hit not one, but two three pointers tonight. His stroke is looking a lot more confident. He was the first player out on the floor today to warm up and it showed. Cooney also showed the he has the ability to get to the hoop. He had an acrobatic dunk in the second half that erupted the Carrier Dome.

3. The scouts got to see what MCW could do.

Multiple scouts were on-hand for Michael Carter-Williams’ double-double. He not only showed how he could score, but he showed how he could effectively pass the rock. Carter-Williams made some impressive passes today. His shot wasn’t on and he turned the ball over six times, but he still looked good in front of an NBA audience.

4. The key to beating the Orange.

EMU head coach Rob Murphy knows how to beat the Orange just as well as any other coach in America, simply because he was an assistant coach for the Orange a couple years back. He proved tonight that the best way to beat the Orange is to slow down the pace to a crawl. Syracuse counteracted this by pressing for the majority of the game, which is why the game eventually became a blowout. But if a team can control the pace against the Orange, it’ll be bad news for Syracuse fans.

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