A quick take on Syracuse’s 78-73 road win against Louisville on Monday evening:
WHAT HAPPENED: After Syracuse had led by 11 points with 6:56 remaining, Louisville rallied to pull within three after a 3-pointer from Ryan McMahon that made it a 76-73 game with 30 seconds left. But Syracuse hit three key free throws down the stretch from its backcourt of Tyus Battle and Frank Howard, including two from Battle with 12 seconds left to make it a 76-70 lead as Syracuse snapped a two-game losing streak.
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ANALYSIS: Syracuse finally snapped out of its three-game offensive funk, with its backcourt of Battle and Howard leading the way. The two combined for 47 of Syracuse’s 78 points on 14 for 30 shooting from the field. One game after shooting 33 percent from the field, SU shot 47 percent and 6-13 from downtown. The win also places Syracuse squarely back on the bubble against a Cardinals team that came in with a 6-4 ACC record. Though Syracuse still faces a gauntlet of road games against Miami and Duke and home game against UNC, wins against any of those teams could be a resume wins.
HERO: As mentioned above, Battle and Howard provided most of the firepower, and they got help from Oshae Brissett’s 16 points and eight rebounds on 4-9 shooting. On any given night, the Orange need two of its ‘big 3’ to deliver on offense. On Monday, it got contributions from all three.
ZERO: Quentin Snider finished with 3 points on 1-8 shooting from the field and 1-5 from downtown.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse hosts Wake Forest on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. at the Carrier Dome.
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