Michael Gbinije hit a spinning floater in the lane with less than a second left to give Syracuse a comeback 72-70 victory over Virginia Tech on Tuesday night.
Syracuse has had eight days to dwell on back-to-back losses to Miami and North Carolina. Under normal Orange circumstances, I’d pity the visiting Virginia Tech Hokies.
Philadelphia, for example, is known as a professional sports town with only a sprinkle of interest in Penn State and Rutgers football (Big Ten) and Big Five basketball, and as such creates a huge void in the northeast TV map.
At this point the expectations are so diminished for the Syracuse basketball squad, I’d be beyond cliché if this column simply harped on the Orange’s odds of missing the NCAA tournament.
With an unusually long eight day, mid-season layoff until Virginia Tech comes into the Dome Feb. 3, it will be back to the business at hand which for this gritty and determined, if not undermanned, team.
For 36 minutes and change, Syracuse played #13 North Carolina tightly, but wilted late as the Tar Heels closed the game by outscoring the Orange 19-11 in the final 3:29 to pull away for a 91-83 win in Chapel Hill, N.C.