Syracuse lost momentum but refined its game during 9-day break
Syracuse defeated Tennessee, then had to wait nine days for its next game, which resulted in a sluggish victory over Saint Joseph’s Thursday. Christian Calabrese | Staff Photographer
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Beating then-No. 13 Tennessee on Dec. 2 was the win third-year head coach Adrian Autry and his squad desperately coveted. The victory came after dropping all three games in the Players Era Festival just days prior.
And SU had no reason to return to Earth anytime soon. Its next game was nine days away.
“We were so high off the Tennessee win, it kind of took us a couple days just to get back locked in and focus on (Saint Joseph’s),” freshman Kiyan Anthony said.
Syracuse (6-3, Atlantic Coast) snuck by Saint Joseph’s (6-4, Atlantic 10) 71-63 Thursday night in a sluggish game. For Autry, he knew a 9 p.m. tip-off after a nine-day break wouldn’t be easy, especially as the Hawks entered on a four-game winning streak.
Autry is aware it wasn’t a pretty game. But the Orange prevailed, capturing their sixth win of the season.
“The layoff definitely played a part,” Autry said postgame. “You could tell some of our guys were breathing a little hard. We had a couple of guys that wasn’t feeling their best, a little bit under the weather. No excuse, though.”
Even elite athletes can’t escape the dangers of a Syracuse winter. As Autry said, and multiple players confirmed in the postgame locker room, a few members on the roster are dealing with illnesses. Along with the rigors of finals week, Autry described it as “a challenging nine days, to say the least.”
It didn’t help that tip-off was at the same time many across central New York were already tucked into bed. Thursday was SU’s second of five 9 p.m. tip-offs this season. It already took down Monmouth and will face three ACC opponents three hours before midnight.
Point guard Naithan George said the late tip-off forced the Orange to find their own energy, pumping each other up. Autry described it as issues with Syracuse’s juicing station and level five energy. SU was certainly reeling out of the gate, allowing the Hawks to build a lead as large as seven six minutes in.
“We really came out sluggish,” guard Nate Kingz said. “I don’t know, it was like something in the air.”
Despite having over a week off, Syracuse didn’t scrimmage to fill the void. Many players on the roster took the chance off the court to do things they never have time for in-season. Anthony said he cleaned his apartment. George said he and freshman Sadiq White took immunity IVs to boost their energy. George hopes to continue doing them for the rest of the season.
Senior J.J. Starling tried to stay off his feet more than usual, he said. Cincinnati transfer Tyler Betsey worked between the cold and hot tubs, getting additional treatment for his left ankle after injuring it on Nov. 15 versus Drexel.
The Orange, of course, remained in the gym and worked on their craft. Center William Kyle III, who notoriously has struggled from the free-throw line this season, went 6-for-9 against Saint Joseph’s. After SU’s triumph over Tennessee, he said he shot over 100 free throws pregame that day alone before knocking down the game-winner.
Additionally, Syracuse was more efficient from 3-point range despite shooting a season-low 14 attempts. It was Kingz and Betsey who led the way, each going 3-for-5 after they went a combined 15-of-51 during SU’s last four games.
Kingz spent his nine-day break refining his game. With his brother in town, Kingz worked on getting downhill and his play in the mid-range. He dove into everything from pickup 5-on-5 to 2-on-2 and 1-on-1.
While Betsey and Kingz combined for 42% of Syracuse’s points, its defense again stepped up when it mattered most. Throughout the evening, the Orange forced the Hawks deep into the shot clock, even causing a violation. Entering Thursday, Saint Joseph’s scored 70 or more points in all but two games this year. It was limited to 63 against SU, garnering just five points from its bench while shooting an abysmal 5-of-26 from 3.
Anthony bluntly said, “A game like this shouldn’t be close at all” when looking broadly at the victory. The Hawks, while winners of their last four contests, fell to Virginia Tech by 35 points just a month ago. He pointed out that the Orange came out flat yet still pulled through in the end.
The task at hand wasn’t easy. Kingz described it as an “ugly win” but still a win. He didn’t think the time off killed momentum from the victory over the Volunteers, instead acting as a tune-up for the final nonconference stretch. Betsey saw it in a more pessimistic view. However, he still sees the positives that can come from surviving and advancing.
“Having that time off definitely affected us in a negative way,” Betsey said. “But having this game, I think we knocked that rust off.”
