No. 8-seed Syracuse (20-14, 10-8 Atlantic Coast) was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by No. 9-seed Baylor (20-13, 10-8 Big 12) with a 78-69 loss to the Bears on Thursday night. The Orange traded 3-point baskets with Baylor for much of the game, but in the end the Bears had more offensive firepower, and SU’s season is over.
Here are the best shots from the game.
Syracuse entered its NCAA Tournament first round matchup against Baylor at 12-4 over its previous 16 games in the Big Dance.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The Orange entered the Tournament coming off a loss, but they’d play well against Pittsburgh and Duke, the overall No. 1 seed, last week in Charlotte.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Wednesday, SU Athletics announced Frank Howard “will not play in the NCAA Tournament for an indefinite period of time due to a violation of athletic department policy.” Three people familiar with the situation told The Daily Orange he failed a drug test before the NCAA Tournament.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Howard’s absence hurt SU, especially on defense, where he anchors the top of the zone and perimeter areas.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Tyus Battle scored 16 points in the loss and committed four turnovers.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle did not indicate whether he would leave for the NBA Draft, nor did Oshae Brissett.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Brissett added 14 points, while Elijah Hughes scored a career-high 28 points.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
A career-high 25 points for junior forward Hughes didn’t bail out the Orange offense.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Buddy Boeheim finished 0-for-6 from the field.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Only three SU players reached double figures.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Long-range shooting haunted Syracuse on Thursday night — Baylor’s 47.1 percent shooting display from deep left SU with few answers in a 78-69 season-ending loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
“It wasn't the year I think it could have been,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Boeheim: “They got the ball in the middle and used the guys as passers, and we didn’t cover it as well as we needed to.”
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle was 3-for-7 from long range.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Hughes shot 6-for-11 from deep, stretching out the Baylor defense a bit.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Brissett had two 3-pointers, but he committed six turnovers.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The Orange entered the break down one in Salt Lake City, with a chance to play on Saturday.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
“We have to do a better job as a team finding shooters and keeping the guys in front of us,” Battle said.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The Orange got back their leading scorer, Battle, from a lower-back injury that sidelined him for the ACC tournament.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Hughes has two more years of eligibility left in college.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Hughes added three assists and two blocks in the ballgame.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle slams the ball on a breakaway that enlivened the SU bench. The elation didn’t last long, though, as Baylor stormed back with a mini-run of its own.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Sophomore forward Marek Dolezaj drilled one 3-pointer in the game, had two assists and one steal.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Hughes was taken out for a few plays because he had a bloody nose. Trainer Brad Pike attended to him on the bench.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The SU walk-ons look on.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse cheerleaders and band members made the trip out to the West Region opening weekend and performed both on Wednesday and Thursday.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Players listen to Boeheim during a timeout.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
“Nobody's happy when you lose,” Boeheim said.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
After Baylor’s first possession — a 3-pointer — Boeheim crossed his arms and exhaled. It was a long night for the SU perimeter defense.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Boeheim chats with Dolezaj, who said after the game he wishes he were more assertive this season.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle looks over to the SU bench late in the game, seeking advice on whether he should foul.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
"We just couldn't get enough done in the defensive end tonight," Boeheim said.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The Bears united on the court after the win, and the Bears fan base stood up and applauded.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse players filed off the court and into the locker room for the final time this season, which SU ended with a 20-14 record.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The Orange will go home without the opportunity to set up a Saturday matchup against No. 1-seed Gonzaga.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff PhotographerPublished on March 22, 2019 at 2:43 am Contact Alexandra: amoreo@syr.edu
