Syracuse suffered a 76-71 loss to Florida State on Saturday. Here are some quick thoughts from the game:
- In their last three offensive possessions of the game, the Orange surprisingly went to Jesse Edwards. Edwards went 1-of-2 at the foul line on the first possession, missed a shot that Jimmy Boeheim put back for a score on the second, then set up Boeheim inside on the third, but the forward could not convert. In any case, that is an absolute show of faith in the relatively inexperienced center and something for him to build upon.
- Much of the second half, FSU opted to try to keep the ball out of Joe Girard III’s hands as part of their full court press. Even after Symir Torrence came in to give Syracuse a three-guard lineup, the ‘Noles continued to deny Girard the ball, allowing Torrence, a natural point guard, to bring the ball up without any additional pressure. If nothing else, a curious decision from Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton.
- Torrence had arguably his best game of the season and certainly his best half of the campaign. Given 12:23 of uninterrupted floor time in the second half, Torrence had four points and four assists. This came after he did commit a turnover in a brief first half cameo.
- Florida State started the game just 1-of-5 from three-point range, then made 11-of-15 the rest of the way, including six straight during one stretch of the second half. Their 60 percent shooting mark was far-and-away the highest given up by SU this season, leaving Georgetown’s 42.3 percent mark in the dust. It is also the third-highest three-point percentage allowed by the Orange in the last nine seasons (61.5 percent at Boston College on January 1, 2017 and 72.0 percent versus Virginia on March 4, 2019).
- Syracuse is 2-7 on the season when their opponent shoots a higher percentage from three-point range than they do.
- The Orange had four fast break points in the game while permitting Florida State to roll up 17. It marks the fourth straight game SU has failed to reach double digits in the stat.
- Girard is mired in a three-game slump, shooting 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) overall and 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) from three-point range since exploding for seven triples and 26 points at Miami. In addition, he has 12 assists and ten turnovers in that span.
» Related: Could Syracuse have a losing season for the first time under Jim Boeheim?
- SU will put a bow on their three-game homestand on Tuesday night when Clemson pays them a visit. The Tigers (10-7, 2-4) have dropped three of their last four games, including blowing a 23-point first half lead in a 70-68 home loss to Boston College on Saturday.
- Clemson has a balanced attack, as five players average at least nine points per game. P.J. Hall leads the way with 14.5 points per outing. Al-Amir Dawes, David Collins, and Hunter Tyson average 11.5, 11.2, and 11.2 points per game respectively while connecting on 40.4 percent of their three-point shots as a trio. The Tigers have made 38.4 percent of their triple tries as a unit on the season.
- Tuesday’s Syracuse-Clemson game is set for a 9:00pm Eastern tip-off and will be televised by the ACC Network.
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