A quick take on Syracuse’s thrilling 112-110 double-overtime win over Indiana in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge:
WHAT HAPPENED: With Syracuse up 110-107 with :07 left in the second overtime, Buddy Boeheim fouled Miller Hopp while he was attempting a 3-pointer. Hopp hit all three free throws to tie the game, but Joe Girard was fouled with 0.8 seconds left and calmly sank two free throws, as Syracuse won a dramatic back-and-forth affair. Syracuse led by as many as 18 in the game, but Indiana roared all the way back to take the lead midway through the second half. The Orange appeared to have things in control up 88-85 with four seconds to go in regulation with Indiana on the free throw line for two shots. But after a made free throw, Benny Williams was muscled out for a rebound by Trayce Jackson-Davis on the miss. Jackson-Davis was fouled and hit two free throws to send the contest to the game’s first overtime.
ANALYSIS: Syracuse picked up a much needed win over a high-major opponent after going 1-2 in the Battle 4 Atlantis. SU raced out to an early lead in an usual way, straying from their vaunted 2-3 zone and settling into a 1-3-1 look, which flustered the Hoosiers into 12 first-half turnovers. That would not last as the Orange reverted to a more iso-ball offense in the early second half, which allowed Indiana to eventually take a brief two-point lead with 8:00 left. Still, credit has to go to SU for staying focused when it lost the lead midway through the second half, again at the end of regulation, and when it fell behind by four points early in the second overtime. With Jesse Edwards and Cole Swider fouling out, Frank Anselem played extended minutes, and hit four consecutive free throws to tie the game at 101 with 3:15 to go in the second OT.
HERO: Edwards continued his emergence as one of SU’s most important players, collecting 17 points on 7-7 shooting to go with five rebounds, five steals and three blocks. His absence was noticeable after he fouled out as the Orange struggled to corral key rebounds. Buddy Boeheim and Jimmy Boeheim combined for 53 points. Meanwhile, for Indiana, Jackson-Davis finsiehd with 31 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
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ZERO: The Orange was badly outrebounded by the Hoosiers, with Indiana having a +17 margin on the boards. Syracuse also continues to get little production from its bench. Williams, Anselem and Symir Torrence combined for just six points and five rebounds. As for Indiana, though it shot 55.1 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from beyond the arc, that was offset with an eye-popping 26 turnovers.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse opens ACC play when it plays at Florida State on Saturday at 4 p.m. TV: ACC Network.
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