Observations from SU’s loss to Miami: Sticking with depth, mounting pressure
Syracuse was outrebounded by Miami Saturday, resulting in an 85-76 loss. Our beat writer has more observations from SU’s third straight loss. Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer
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Syracuse’s third season under Adrian Autry is spiraling. The Orange began Atlantic Coast Conference play 3-1 but dropped their last two.
First, SU fell in upset fashion to Boston College, the last-place team in the league. Then, a close loss to Virginia Tech at home added to the pressure. The Orange must dig themself out of a hole. Facing Miami was a great opportunity to get rejuvenated.
Against the Hurricanes, SU began in a 9-0 deficit and couldn’t recover. The Orange never led and, after trailing by as much as 13 in the second half, dropped their third-straight game.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (12-8, 3-4 ACC) 85-76 loss to Miami (16-4, 5-2 ACC) Saturday:
Donnie bounce back?
It’s pretty simple. When Donnie Freeman is playing at his best, Syracuse is too. Freeman averaged 24.6 points per game across SU’s three-game winning streak against conference bottom-feeders, but went just 10-for-28 with 11 turnovers in its last two contests.
Against the Hurricanes, Freeman slightly made his way back. His first take mirrored his issues against the Hokies, missing a midrange jumpshot. After not taking a shot for over six minutes, Freeman worked inside for a layup to chip away at the deficit. For the middle portion of the opening half, Freeman sat on the bench as Syracuse narrowed Miami’s lead.
Freeman held strong on the defensive end but was mostly a non-factor offensively to begin the day, scoring just four first-half points after a late floater. He began the second frame with a dunk and a fadeaway jumper cut the deficit to 50-48. Another midrange shot seconds later added on.
Freeman was then relegated to the bench for a four-minute portion of the second half as Miami poured it on. His game wasn’t as prolific as the past, but Freeman certainly wasn’t the only reason for SU’s third-consecutive loss.
Donaldson comes off the bench
Star guard Tre Donaldson started all 19 of Miami’s games this year. His 16.0 points per game ranked second on the squad, building off his previous three college seasons at Auburn and Michigan. Yet, for the first time with the Hurricanes, Donaldson was left out of the starting lineup.
He entered the game at the 14:31 mark, coming in for the usual bench player, Dante Allen. Even with Donaldson out, Miami kick-started a 9-0 run to begin with an 11-8 lead. Donaldson works best while maneuvering downhill, and that’s exactly what he did, driving through the lane for a hanging layup.
Donaldson played 32 or more minutes in 14-of-19 starts but played only 11 minutes in the first half. He attempted four shots across the first 20 minutes despite Miami still finding a groove. As the Hurricanes slowed down near the end of the first half, Donaldson played more. Donaldson is the clear motivator for Miami, bringing the squad together following Kiyan Anthony’s posterizer to settle down as the Dome went into a frenzy.
The Hurricanes pulled away in the closing seconds of the first half and Donaldson splashed a 3 to extend the lead to eight. The Orange shut down Donaldson on the final play of the first half. He cleared out the right side for an isolation with Naithan George, but stumbled in the paint and turned it over.
Donaldson added nine points in the second half in 17 minutes. His productivity, while efficient, didn’t matter much, as the Hurricanes had control regardless of Donaldson’s position as a starter or not. He finished with 16 points in 28 minutes.
Test the depth
A huge indicator of a coach’s style is their rotations. Autry, who is notably on the hot seat, hasn’t shrunk his rotations yet. When George and J.J. Starling each tallied two fouls early against VT, Autry inserted Bryce Zephir for a prolonged period.
Autry stuck with his starting lineup for a larger portion early against the Hurricanes, making his first substitution six minutes in. The Orange dug into their bench further with Sadiq White and Anthony, both looking to find their mojo amid an ordinary freshman wall. Anthony did just that, nailing a step-back 3 before posterizing a defender to knot the game at 27-27. Earlier, White flushed a dunk on a pass from William Kyle III.
No matter who was on the court, Syracuse’s rotations failed to get going from deep range. Nate Kingz didn’t attempt a 3 until eight minutes left in the game, while Tyler Betsey attempted and missed one in the first half.
In the second half, Anthony came off the bench first, six minutes in, for George. Once SU cut into the deficit closely, Autry pulled Freeman for Betsey. The Hurricanes quickly added on to the lead with Freeman on the bench. Autry seems like he’s willing to live and die with his philosophies.
Rebound margin halts productivity
The result on the offensive glass was already selected before the opening tip-off. Miami entered 18th in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, per KenPom. It ranks third in the ACC at 12.5 per game.
With Malik Reneau dominating inside — finishing with 11 rebounds — the Hurricanes’ depth added on. Every player who entered the game for Miami tallied at least one rebound. Miami’s work on the offensive glass created a 13-4 advantage in second-chance points. The Orange added the contest with 16 less rebounds overall, and three less offensively.
A sequence with seven minutes to go in the game programmed the issue perfectly. Miami missed a shot, corralled the rebound, missed another shot, grabbed another rebound and Donaldson flushed a midrange look. It wasn’t Syracuse’s day. Again.
State of the program
A loss to Boston College began to generate some of the heat already brewing. A loss to Virginia Tech added more fuel. A home, a nine-point loss to Miami in front of a packed student section on a Saturday afternoon was not a recipe to blow out the flame.
Multiple times throughout the game, fans broke into a “Fire Autry” chant. Boos rained down as Autry called a timeout once Syracuse trailed by 13 with 10 minutes to go.
A fanbase that, in the past, was used to competing among the best in the country has seemingly grown restless amid yet another year of pure mediocrity. The Orange built a formidable roster equipped to take on and, more often than not, defeat the best teams in the ACC. Syracuse’s transfers were experienced. Its high school recruits were both popular and talented. Though early in conference play, SU has hit a halt.
