Syracuse (15-12, 8-8 Atlantic Coast) beat Georgia Tech (13-14, 7-9) 79-72  in a game separated by two completely different SU performances in the first and second halves. The Orange got off to a horrid start and spent a majority of the first half pleading for foul calls. But Georgia Tech’s similar futility allowed it to stick around. In the second half, that small deficit flipped to the Orange’s advantage when they came back and won.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Youth (slow) movement

In the first half, Syracuse couldn’t get anything going at all. So, around the 12-minute mark, SU head coach Jim Boeheim turned to a lineup featuring Brycen Goodine, Howard Washington, Jesse Edwards and Quincy Guerrier all sharing the floor together. The less-experienced and usual bench replacements now demanded attention on the floor, and for a short period, they at least matched the futility of those in the game before them.

Each had its own flash: Goodine showed off a step-back on a missed jumper. Edwards battled for loose offensive boards and got to the line. Guerrier muscled his way to the rim. Washington kept a steady pace as the primary ball-handler. Though Syracuse’s normal lineup is a youth movement of its own (every player on the team can return next season if they choose to do so), in recent games the lower rotational players have been checking in earlier with an eye on the seasons to come.

Not that same Elijah

The last time Syracuse played Georgia Tech, Elijah Hughes scored 26 first-half points and 33 total. He displayed every bit of the No. 1 scoring potential SU expected from him this year. But this version of Georgia Tech, though not much different in personnel, led to a much different output all over the floor for Syracuse. 

Hughes struggled early, and despite being the only player on the Orange to reach double-figures in the first half, most of his points came near the tail-end of the opening 20 minutes. With little support around him, the isolation play Hughes fell into during some of his worst games sunk him early on. He tallied a few timely assists to cut the lead early in the second half, but the scoring punch of the two teams’ last meeting wasn’t there.

Big finish

After a rough first half, Syracuse looked like a new team in the second. The Orange made up for their deficit quickly, and then in the final 10 minutes secured the win they never lost. Joe Girard III, Marek Dolezaj and Hughes all turned in solid outputs. A game that at one point looked as if it would be a blowout loss at the expense of SU turned into a seven-point win behind the Orange’s 64% shooting percentage in the second half.  

Published on February 22, 2020 at 6:20 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary