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The first time Jim Boeheim and Syracuse tried full-court pressure on Saturday, it failed, just as it had many times this season.

Notre Dame had torched Syracuse’s 2-3 zone for 32 points in 13 minutes, and Syracuse’s stagnant offense couldn’t keep up with that pace. Following two Quincy Guerrier free throws, Boeheim subbed in freshman Kadary Richmond for Buddy Boeheim, and three Orange players set up in the ND backcourt.

Seconds later, Notre Dame’s wide-open layup brought its lead to 15. Syracuse’s outside chance of an at-large bid was on the verge of potential extinction unless it could figure out how to stop one of the nation’s most efficient offenses. 

Boeheim then turned to a five-man lineup of Richmond, Buddy, Guerrier, Marek Dolezaj and Robert Braswell with the Orange down 17 and 13:26 to play. Syracuse spurted ahead on a 14-0 run and finished the game on a 40-12 extended run, saving its season as SU’s newfound defensive energy suffocated Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish didn’t score for 6:10 in the second half while the Orange turned a 20-point deficit into a seven-point home win. Syracuse’s (13-6, 7-5 Atlantic Coast) 75-67 win against Notre Dame (9-11, 6-8) on Saturday won’t push the Orange into the NCAA Tournament field yet, but the win keeps SU’s hopes alive. 

“I just can’t believe we got the stops we got, that the press worked so well,” Boeheim said. “I was hoping the press would work a little bit, it worked a lot better than that.”

Syracuse had tried the press before this season with almost no results. When Syracuse went to the full-court defense in a comeback attempt against Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights’ lead ballooned, prompting Boeheim to remark that SU “couldn’t press a pair of pants.”

Against nationally-ranked Virginia, the Cavaliers picked apart the Orange and methodically advanced the ball into the half court and produced wide-open dunks.

Notre Dame handled the press with ease in the first half. It made open shots, didn’t turn the ball over and passed through the zone. The Irish blitzed Syracuse for 46 first-half points, 16 of which were in transition on fast breaks. Syracuse wouldn’t survive a second half without a major course correction.

After SU’s first half was bereft of energy, Boeheim knew it’d need the press. Early on, he shouted for Griffin to pass the ball in the opening minutes after taking a contested shot. He threw his hands in the air after Guerrier was outmanned for a rebound and a Notre Dame basket. SU was standing around defensively, he said.

When ND fouled Guerrier and knocked the sophomore forward to the ground, no Syracuse player rushed to help him up. One member of the bench stood up and shouted “help him up,” but the bench had otherwise sat stunned for the opening 20 minutes of the game.

At halftime, everyone was “upbeat,” Buddy said. “Obviously at first we were down… We knew that down, whatever it was, we just had to leave it out there.”

Quincy Guerrier finished with nine points, 14 boards and a block against Notre Dame on Saturday. Courtesy of Mark Konezny | USA Today Sports

The energy wasn’t much better to open the second half, when Dane Goodwin’s 3 pushed the lead back to 14. But slowly, the pressure forced the Irish into mistakes. The plan was to either deny entry or force guard Prentiss Hubb into the corners, Buddy said, where SU immediately double-teamed him with bigger players. The wingspans of Braswell and Richmond wreaked havoc on ND’s smaller guards.

Pressure led to ill-advised cross-court passes, excessive dribbling and, eventually, turnovers.

“They were picking the ball up in places they can’t, and we were trapping and getting deflections,” Buddy said. “Sometimes they’d throw it down to the big man, and he’d make a turnover.”

On the occasions that the Irish broke the press, Syracuse scrambled back into its 2-3 zone. Only now, Notre Dame stopped trying to penetrate inside. All of the first-half success the Irish had feeding Juwan Durham on the interior halted. The leaks of offensive rebounds and second-chance points were plugged. If the Irish could attempt a shot at all, it was often a long, contested 3 that frequently missed.

SU typically practices the press for about five to 10 minutes each practice, Buddy said. Though it has produced historic wins — including a similar comeback win against Virginia in the 2016 Elite Eight — the Orange haven’t had the depth or personnel to make it effective this season — until Saturday afternoon.

“Every week, we practice it a little bit. It’s not complicated,” Boeheim said. “It’s just a matter of getting into positions. We did a good job. They didn’t attack it very well. We were fortunate. Very fortunate with that.” 

Syracuse forced enough turnovers to mount a comeback, but without Griffin or Joe Girard III on the court, the offense needed its best shooter from last season to reappear. After missing an open look with 11 minutes to play, Buddy got a second chance after Richmond grabbed the rebound. This one didn’t miss. He used a pump fake to beat his defender off the dribble and score an and-1 on the ensuing possession, and he nailed another 3 two possessions later.

“The first 3 was kind of big for me,” Buddy said postgame after a career-high 29 points. 

Richmond stole a cross-court pass, Guerrier hit a 3, and the Orange took the lead for good when Buddy hit a 3 from just a step in front of the Carrier logo. SU’s bench erupted, and Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey opted not to take a timeout.

Syracuse’s lead was four points by the time Notre Dame ended its six-minute scoring drought. The Irish had a chance to recapture the lead when Guerrier’s jumper missed, but Dolezaj pulled in the rebound and drew the foul.

The press started the comeback, but Dolezaj’s six points on a jumper and four free throws completed it. 

As the clock ticked down and Syracuse completed its biggest comeback since 2005, Boeheim windmill fist-pumped his arm in celebration. He says he doesn’t talk about the bubble with his team, but Boeheim is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament picture in his 45th year coaching Syracuse. 

“I’m still shocked by what this team did today,” he said.

Published on February 20, 2021 at 4:09 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo