The passing game climaxed with the emergence of Alec Lemon and the running game was strong due to the Gulley-Smith tandem in the backfield that tore up West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl.
For the second straight game, Fair put up 8 points and 6 rebounds, though he made a near-critical mistake, fouling Juwan Howard Jr. with 55 seconds left to put him at the line with SU clinging to a 6 point lead.
Carter-Williams had just one assist at halftime, and then poured in 13 after intermission. It’s no coincidence that Syracuse was only +4 on the scoreboard in the first half and +21 in the second. He also only had 2 turnovers and chipped in 12 points.
I don’t think Grant should be taking more than one 3 a game (he took 3). But he was great otherwise getting inside for a couple of impresive dunks and finished with 9 points and 5 boards.
I’ve been waiting to give Cooney a good grade. Finally, the shots were falling, and he even had a nice dunk for conventional 3-point play toward the end of the second half for 11 points.
The majority of Fair’s 14 points came from inside the paint, where he is most effective. I didn’t like the high turnovers (4), but he was solid otherwise.
If there was a All Non-Conference team, Southerland would be the MVP. If he can shoot 7 of 12 for 18 points against Georgetown and Louisville, that would be a huge asset.