The game seemed headed for disaster. Three Syracuse big men had fouled out. Inexperienced 7-footer Jesse Edwards was the only forward on the floor. Syracuse’s lead over Wake Forest was dwindling, and a looming overtime period didn’t bode well for the undermanned SU group. But then Brycen Goodine gave SU perhaps its best moment of the season.

Goodine’s game-winning layup was the freshman’s first points of the game, and they came at the game’s largest moment.

Here’s a breakdown of Goodine’s game-winner in Syracuse’s 75-73 win over Wake Forest, a shot that very well might have kept SU’s tournament hopes alive.

The 3-pointer

Wake Forest was down by just three points with a small difference between the shot clock and game clock. The Demon Deacons would take the first long range shot they got, so SU shifted its defense forward a few steps, something it’s done several times this season. The result was a 3-2 zone resemblance as opposed to its normal 2-3 look. Buddy Boeheim denied a pass from the wing to the corner, and Edwards crept up next to him.

That simultaneous rotation on the strong side put Syracuse in a good position to trap if the ball ended up in the corner. SU left the backdoor cut open, but that wouldn’t give Wake Forest the points needed to prolong the game. So, though it was deep, Wake Forest’s Ismael Massoud took the best shot available. Goodine leapt forward, seemingly not expecting a shot, but still had a strong contest. The shot still fell.

The setup

The ball was going to Elijah Hughes the whole time. Buddy was the second option if the Demon Deacons trapped Hughes near the 3-point line. Buddy and Goodine camped on the elbow-extended and in the corner, respectively. They were wide enough to open a right-handed driving lane for Hughes. Joe Girard III was the third option on a kick-out pass if the lane to the rim was cut off by the ball-denying defender to the left of Hughes.

The shot

Hughes never looked to pass the ball, so he waited to see Wake Forest’s defensive approach and fired a contested 3-pointer when no double team came. On the wing, Goodine crashed but mistimed his jump, expecting Hughes to air-ball. It instead crashed off the front rim and then the backboard. Because of Edwards’ height, all three Wake Forest defenders positioned down low pushed him away from the rim.

Goodine just watched the ball, as did the other three SU players on the perimeter. The ball tipped in the direction of Edwards and the WFU trio. Edwards battled with his left arm to create space and deflected away the ball with his right hand.

The winner

Goodine’s momentum took him out of the previous play, so when Edwards’ tip sailed near the sideline he was in perfect position. In what was seemingly a reflex, Goodine reached out with his left hand, gathered and went up with two hands. The first Wake Forest defender to arrive swiped, but Goodine had already angled toward the basket.

 He hung in the air briefly, but since Wake Forest had been pushed back by Edwards it didn’t recover in time. Goodine laid the ball off the glass, bouncing around but ultimately falling through. Syracuse and the crowd erupted. The Orange, still tense, sprinted back on defense.

 All videos courtesy of ESPN

Published on February 10, 2020 at 10:37 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary