A quick take on Syracuse’s 52-51 win against Louisville:
WHAT HAPPENED: With Syracuse leading 52-51 with 39.2 seconds left, Louisville guard Peyton Siva drove down the lane and attempted to pass in traffic, but lost the ball to Dion Waiters. Waiters raced into the front court and was fouled with 1.7 seconds left, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1, leaving the Cardinals with 1.1 left to shoot. Louisville couldn’t convert on a full court lob, and the Orange snapped a seven game losing streak to the Cardinals. Syracuse ended the game on a 6-0 run, holding the Cardinals scoreless in the last 3:39, although neither team scored in the final 2:12 of the game.
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ANALYSIS: The Orange survived an ugly game after shooting 34.4 percent from the field and 1-for-15 from 3-point land. Syracuse simply couldn’t score from the perimeter, as it was just 1-for-29 from outside. But SU won the game by working the ball inside on offense and pressuring Louisville on defense, forcing 16 turnovers. By contrast, the Orange committed only eight. The Cardinals weren’t much better on offense, as Rick Pitino’s team shot 34.7 percent from the field and 5-for-19 from distance.
HERO: CJ Fair had 13 points and five rebounds for SU and Fab Melo chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds in 37 minutes of play. Chane Behanan had 16 points for Louisville.
ZERO: Scoop Jardine was scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting from the field. For Louisville, Kyle Kuric was 1-for-8 from the field and 1-for-6 from downtown for three points. Gorgui Dieng also struggled, with nine points on 2-for-9 shooting from the field, although he did have 10 rebounds and four blocks.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Orange will travel to Piscataway, NJ to play Rutgers on Sun. Feb. 19 at 1:00 p.m. TV: ESPN.
