A quick take on Syracuse’s 85-72 win against Florida State on a frigid night at the Carrier Dome:
WHAT HAPPENED: Up just 42-39 at halftime, Syracuse went on a 13-1 to begin the second half to take complete control. Dajuan Coleman led the outburst, with six points, a block, a rebound and a pretty assist to Malachi Richardson during the pivotal run. By the time Coleman was forced to sit after picking up his third foul with 17:28 left, Syracuse was up 50-39 and would lead by double digits the rest of the way.
» Related: How did Syracuse become an NCAA bubble team?
ANALYSIS: Syracuse came into the game as the only Power 5 school not to finish a game shooting 50 percent or better from the field this season. That finally came to an end on Thursday evening, with the Orange taking advantage of a nine-day layoff to shoot 62 percent from the field. Syracuse got sloppy in garbage time and finished with 20 turnovers, but the SU valued the ball when it mattered, going the the first 15 possessions in the second half without turning it over. It was a crucial win for the Orange’s NCAA Tournament hopes, with ESPN’s Bracketology projecting SU as an 11 seed and Florida State among the last teams in earlier in the week. A win over a fellow bubble team will only improve that.
HERO: For the eighth time this season, Michael Gbinije hit the 20-point plateau, finishing with 22. Freshmen Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon combined for 32 points.
ZERO: Malik Beasley led the Seminoles with 14 points, but took 18 shots to get there. Overall, the ‘Noles shot 41.3 percent from the field and 8-26 from downtown.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse embarks on a two-game road swing, playing at Boston College on Feb. 14 at 1 p.m.
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