Syracuse Basketball Gets Bounce-Back Win Over EMU

The Syracuse basketball squad finally found their mojo against an inferior opponent in dominating fashion. Can they keep it going moving forward?

After a disheartening loss to former Big East foe Georgetown over the weekend, the Syracuse basketball team somewhat righted the ship on Monday night in absolutely throttling Eastern Michigan, 105-57, from the Carrier Dome.

More than anything else, the Orange (7-4) shared the ball more effectively than it has all season. To the tune of 34 assists on 37 made baskets, while eclipsing the century mark for the second time this winter.

That, my friends, is tremendous. I know, Eastern Michigan (6-5) is not stellar competition. SU, regardless, needed to get its offense back on track, and I’m praying that our boys can build on this type of performance.

Eight – yes, I repeat, eight – players scored in double-figures for Syracuse, led by freshman Tyus Battle, who tallied 18 points.

However, we got a super duper scare late in the first half, when sophomore Tyler Lydon, coming off a spectacular offensive show against the Hoyas, sprained his right Achilles.

Given that the Orange is already down to eight primarily scholarship players, we cannot afford to lose Lydon. He did not suit up in the second stanza, with ESPNU broadcasters reporting that SU decided to hold him out as a precautionary measure.

In his post-game presser, when asked about Lydon’s injury and whether he would play on Wednesday, Dec. 21, versus another former Big East rival, St. John’s, head coach Jim Boeheim said, “I don’t know. We’ll see.”

‘Cuse continues to crush inferior opponents. If the Orange could put together outcomes like it did against the Eagles, out of the MAC, when it squares off against higher-rated opponents, that would prove encouraging.

Syracuse shot 59 percent from the field, and 54 percent from 3-point land, with 15 makes from downtown, including four each by Battle and graduate transfer Andrew White III, as well as three by fellow grad transfer John Gillon.

Still, all is not rosy. SU just stinks from the free-throw line, connecting on only 16-of-25. Misses from the charity stripe amounted to a huge factor in Syracuse falling to Georgetown last Saturday afternoon.

The Orange basically shot as well from the field and 3-point range as it did from the free-throw line. That is distressing. It didn’t matter in the win over Eastern Michigan, but I guarantee it will once ACC play starts in the near future.

For the night, Syracuse held a 45-33 rebounding edge, collected 15 steals, totaled eight blocks and forced 20 turnovers. But SU is still a bit careless with the ball, committing 17 turnovers of its own.

However, our point guards, Gillon and sophomore Frank Howard, who have fared poorly of late, came to play on this go-round. They accounted for a combined 20 assists and five turnovers. Not too shabby.

I think it’s an overstatement to say that the SU defense completely clamped down, even though it only gave up 57 points. In all honesty, Eastern Michigan, which came into this contest averaging a whopping 85 points a game, could have built a house against Syracuse with all the bricks it threw up.

The Eagles shot 35 percent from the field, and a paltry 19 percent from 3-point land.

Regardless, what got me most jazzed up about this victory is the Orange’s juicy ball movement. So

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crisp, fluid and smooth. Guards penetrating and dishing for easy buckets. High-low passing that resulted in dunks. Freshman Taurean Thompson, who is exceling on offense, had numerous nifty dimes, as did Lydon.

The Eagles, whose head coach, Rob Murphy, is a former long-time Boeheim assistant, play a zone defense. Syracuse, to put it gently, shredded it. Should the Orange repeat this kind of offensive firepower when it faces off with the upper echelon of its conference, maybe ‘Cuse can regain its mojo and, ultimately, have a strong season.

It’s worth noting that senior Tyler Roberson, taking advantage, so to speak, of Lydon’s injury, finished with 10 points and eight boards. In Boeheim’s dog house for the past few games, he had lost his starting role and barely got off the bench in the Georgetown affair.

I feel for Roberson. He’s such a humble and understated guy. And such a key cog in SU’s improbable run to the Final Four last March. Unfortunately, he has become the final option for Boeheim, behind other big men Lydon, Thompson and senior Dajuan Coleman.

Maybe the Eastern Michigan game can jump-start Roberson. We desperately need him to get back to his old self.

All in all, after the recent 2-4 skid, and particularly the huge let-down against Georgetown, let’s hope that this win over the Eagles is a boost to Syracuse’s self-confidence.

Our guys dominated from the onset. They displayed energy and grit. They hustled after loose balls, even when they went up by 40-plus points. I think they recognize that there is a huge sense of urgency.

Let’s pray that Lydon is okay.

And, let’s actually go out and defeat a former Big East counterpart when the Red Storm visits the Carrier Dome on Wednesday.

That isn’t too much to ask. Right?