Observations from Syracuse’s loss to Louisville: 3-point woes, same old story
Naithan George scored a team-high 16 points, but Syracuse still lost its fourth straight game to Louisville Tuesday. Courtesy of Louisville Athletics
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Syracuse’s free fall is in the home stretch. After two blowout losses to Duke and North Carolina, the Orange traveled to Wake Forest on Saturday looking for a bounce back. Instead, SU dropped its third straight game, causing an uncharacteristic tone from head coach Adrian Autry postgame.
As Autry’s clock ticks, Syracuse Athletics is in transition. SU announced the hiring of Mike Haynie as its next chancellor on Tuesday, and the replacement for retiring Director of Athletics John Wildhack took a twist. With everything in turbulence, one thing is consistent: Syracuse men’s basketball.
Against Louisville Tuesday, the Orange scored their fewest points in a half this season, falling behind by 18 points and never recovering. Syracuse went just 4-for-19 from 3 and lost its seventh straight road game.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (15-15, 6-11 Atlantic Coast) 77-62 loss to Louisville (21-9, 10-7 ACC) on Tuesday:
You want toughness?
Autry’s postgame rant was a distinctive message to his team. He wants toughness, and the Orange haven’t given it in a long, long time. Well, facing the Cardinals, the best offense in the ACC, Syracuse was a different team early on.
SU came out throwing bodies left and right. The Orange recorded four blocks and forced three turnovers just four minutes in, holding Louisville to just two points. Once Autry made his first substitution, he switched to a zone defense. The Cardinals, with their four-guard lineup, picked the zone apart with a dunk and a 3. All of a sudden, it was 15-10. Then it was 21-10, an 11-0 run.
But Autry still wanted toughness. He substituted Kiyan Anthony for Bryce Zephir, who hasn’t played meaningful minutes in weeks. Louisville then poured it on from 3, building an 18-point halftime lead. However, just before the half, the Orange lost arguably their toughest player. Sadiq White Jr. went down holding his left arm after a collision, heading straight to the locker room. He returned in the second half with a wrap on his left shoulder but left again after feeling pain.
No matter how tough a team is, it needs some competence, too. The Orange ran a 2-3 defense, but Louisville easily worked the ball through the elbow as their man in the middle failed to stop the ball. Syracuse fought to build a 9-0 run midway through the second half. But the damage was already done.
No Mikel, no problem?
This isn’t the first time Syracuse has played a top ACC team without its best player. The Orange hosted North Carolina just a few weeks ago without star freshman Caleb Wilson, yet still lost by double digits. Louisville freshman Mikel Brown Jr. was out Tuesday with a back injury. SU couldn’t survive.
Brown is lethal from deep, dropping 45 points on 10 3s against NC State on Feb. 9. Without Brown, Ryan Conwell caught fire with two early 3s. Isaac McKneely hit one straight away as Syracuse’s guard depth showed off. McKneely poured in three 3-pointers. Conwell attempted eight shots from deep range in the first 20 minutes, sinking three.
Even as Conwell was inefficient from the field, he took enough shots to add points. At the same time, J’Vonne Hadley started 6-for-6 from the field with 16 points.
Louisville’s offense is a well-oiled machine even without its rising star. Its 14 3s and 77 points overall were far too much for SU to stay anywhere close.
Who is Syracuse from 3?
Syracuse has proven to be consistently inconsistent from beyond the arc. Against North Carolina on Feb. 21, SU knocked down just three 3-pointers, and only one in the first 36 minutes. Versus Wake Forest a week later, the Orange made 10 3s in the first half but kiltered off in their second-half collapse.
SU came out of the gate with a 3-point attempt from Nate Kingz and two more deep ones from Naithan George. None went in as a stalemate ensued of sloppy offense. The Orange didn’t hit a 3 in the first half, starting 0-for-11.
It wasn’t as if SU was missing good looks. Well, it was at times. But on most occasions, it couldn’t even produce open looks. George was 0-for-4 for 20 minutes while Kingz and Donnie Freeman each missed their three first-half opportunities.
The Orange attempted only two 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second frame, making their first as Kingz splashed one with 15 minutes to play. Kingz then hit his next shot from the right corner, cutting the deficit to 16. Sure, Syracuse made a few 3s in the second half. But we know who SU is from deep.
Eyes on Autry
With the Orange far behind the Cardinals for most of the night, the inevitable continues to creep closer. Autry’s third season hasn’t gone as planned. So, as SU attempted a monumental comeback, The Daily Orange took its eyes to the sidelines.
In front of the Syracuse bench, Autry wore his normal blue pants and white quarter-zip. He stood in anger a few minutes into the second half as Freeman turned directly into a Louisville defender for a turnover. On the other end, as Freeman jogged back, the Cardinals splashed a 3.
When SU tried to work its way back into the game through the 3, Kingz missed a shot short, and the Orange couldn’t secure the rebound. Autry grimaced in frustration. Syracuse cut the deficit to 13 with a 9-0 run, and Sadiq White’s powerful breakaway dunk elicited a fist pump and applause minutes later as White walked off after fighting through an injury. Though with minutes remaining, the Orange allowed an easy bucket, and Autry charged back down the sideline, swearing under his own breath.
The failures don’t all fall on Autry. Of course, some of them do. However, this is a sad reality. A late-season matchup with the Cardinals was supposed to be a fight for a high ACC Tournament seed and an addition to the March Madness resume. Instead, it turned into the same old story. A blowout on the road and Syracuse’s 10th Quad 1 loss in 11 tries.
