Syracuse squandered a late lead and bowed to Miami, 75-72, in its regular season finale. Here are some quick thoughts from the game:
- Syracuse dropped to 55-6 in the last nine seasons when shooting at least 34 percent from three-point range while holding their opponent to 30 percent or lower from three. SU shot 44.0 percent from three while Miami made 16.7 percent of their triples. The Hurricanes’ three treys is the fewest allowed by the Orange this season.
- Miami’s 26 two-point baskets were more than the number of total field goals SU permitted in 14 games this season. Indiana was the only team to make more deuces against the Orange, notching 27 in their double-overtime loss to Syracuse.
- The Hurricanes had 10 lay-ups and two dunks… in the second half alone. Kameron McGusty also hit four jumpers from the foul line and in after halftime. Miami held a 42-16 overall advantage in points in the paint.
- Coming into the game, Buddy Boeheim had made just 10-of-39 three-pointers (25.6 percent). He hit 5-of-9 against Miami, getting back over 34 percent from deep on the season.
- In the last 11 games of the season, Cole Swider shot 33-for-60 (55.0 percent) from three-point range, lifting him to a team leading 41.1 percent mark on the season. Swider also led the Orange in the regular season with 206 rebounds, good for a team-high 6.6 per game.
- Over the course of the season, SU simply never got better at handling full-court pressure. The team committed 11 turnovers in the game, but three of them came in the final minute against the ‘Canes’ press.
» Related: Syracuse blows late lead in loss to Miami
NEXT UP:
Syracuse will head to Brooklyn, NY for the ACC Tournament, where they will open play at noon Eastern on Wednesday in a second-round matchup as the #8 seed against ninth-seeded Florida State. The Seminoles (17-13, 10-10) and Orange split their two games this season, each team winning on the other’s home floor.
SU claimed a 63-60 win at Tallahassee on December 4 as Cole Swider had a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double and Joe Girard III also scored 16 points. FSU returned serve with a 76-71 road win on January 15 on the strength of Caleb Mills’ 19 points.
Florida State dropped eight of nine games as they were hit with a series of injuries, but have righted their ship with wins in their last three games. Syracuse closed their schedule with four straight losses, all coming against the top four teams in the ACC standings.
Wednesday’s matchup between the Orange and the Seminoles will start at 12:00pm Eastern and be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2.
For more Syracuse coverage, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and listen to our podcast.
