Instant Juice: Syracuse 72, Louisville 76 (OT)

White
Andrew White struggled in Syracuse's loss
White
Andrew White struggled in Syracuse’s loss

A quick take on Syracuse’s disappointing 76-72 loss to Louisville on Monday evening at the Carrier Dome:

WHAT HAPPENED: Down 71-63 with 39 seconds left, the Orange mounted an improbable rally, and had a chance to tie the game with 2.7 seconds left after Tyler Roberson was fouled and sent to the line. But Roberson, a 50 percent free throw shooter, predictably missed both free throws, and SU let a golden opportunity pass it by against the No. 8 Cardinals.

» Related: 2017 Syracuse basketball has been a fun, if not confusing, ride

ANALYSIS: The Orange can point no further than two statistics for the loss: Rebounding and 3-point shooting. Andrew White, a stalwart during SU’s ACC resurgence, was dreadful, shooting just 2-14 from downtown, part of an 8-34 effort overall from beyond the arc. And, for the second straight game, Syracuse can lament its effort on the glass. SU surrendered a -5 margin on the offensive glass, and was -8 overall. A win would’ve been a critical resume win for the Orange, but now SU in its most difficult stretch of the season is on a two-game losing streak.

HERO: We’ll give this one to the Syracuse faithful, all 25,303 of them, who lived up to the moniker “The Loud House.” Donovan Mitchell fouled out near the end of regulation, but led Louisville with 16 points and added four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

ZERO: John Gillon gives, and Gillon takes away. The fifth-year guard’s key 3-pointer near the end of regulation was one of the key reasons why Syracuse even played in overtime. But with a chance to win in regulation, Gillon lost the ball out of bounds with 3.6 seconds left, part of five turnovers to pair with 3-11 shooting from the field.

WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse will try to halt its two-game losing streak when it travels to play Georgia Tech on 2/19 at 6:30 p.m. TV: ESPNU.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.