Right from tip-off against Louisville, Syracuse controlled the game with their hot shooting. A rundown Louisville team fresh off a head coaching firing simply did not have enough to keep up with the Orange in the Dome.
In a game that seemed over by halftime, here are the takeaways from Syracuse’s 23-point blowout of Louisville.
Orange let offensive explosion dictate in landslide win
Starting the game shooting 90% from the field and a perfect 4-4 from deep, Syracuse took an early 25-14 lead against Louisville and never looked back.
Even after such a hot start, Syracuse was able to keep their foot on the gas the entire second half to keep a large lead. The Orange shot 32-58 from the field, and an impressive 52.2% from deep to end the game.
After finishing with 92 points, Syracuse was able to put on one of their best offensive performances of the season.
“Everything that we tried to do tonight offensively worked really well,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “We made them look like a bad team, but Louisville has come off two tough games and is a good team, so this was a really good effort for us.”
A full team effort downed the Cardinals
Most games this season Syracuse has seen individual breakout performances to help lead the team through forty minutes.
On Saturday, the everyone on the Orange saw their shots falling. All five starters finished with double digit points, including an impressive 19 from Jesse Edwards and an almost expected 19 from Buddy Boeheim. Cole Swider (11), Jimmy Boeheim (14), and Joe Girard (15) rounded out the scoring.
While it’s easier said than done, Syracuse succeeds when they can offensively rely on numerous guys, including role players off the bench.
Up 30 with six minutes left coach Boeheim took all starters out of the game, giving important game time to bench players like Frank Anselem, Symir Torrence, and Benny Williams.
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The Orange continue to zone in on their X-factor
Jim Boeheim has made it obvious that Syracuse’s kryptonite all season has been collapses on defense. In almost every loss, postgame there has been a focus on where the defense went wrong.
Saturday against Louisville, the Orange continued to pick it up defensively to get past the Cardinals. Syracuse had 16 points off turnovers, and finished with just seven personal fouls. In the three straight wins, the Orange zone has caused a lot of disturbance for opposing offenses.
Interim head coach for Louisville Mike Pegues attempted to put a big in the middle to attract the zone, but it was obvious the Cardinals could not solve the zone. In particular, Jesse Edwards created problems for Louisville with two blocks and three steals.
“Our defense was good,” Jim Boeheim said. “It makes it easier for us offensively when our defense is good. You could see once we stopped playing defense Louisville started to make shots.”
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