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With a one-point lead, Florida State patiently moved the ball back and forth in the final 2:30 of the game. As the shot clock ticked below five seconds, the Seminoles’ Caleb Mills drove inside, then turned and kicked a pass back to Wyatt Wilkes for a 3-pointer. 

Wilkes drained it, stretching FSU’s lead to four points, and celebrated by holding his fingers near his ear and pretending to make a phone call. It was the third time Saturday Wilkes did the celebration, one for each made 3-pointer.

Syracuse scraped out a win in Tallahassee in the teams’ first matchup of the season back in early December, beating the Seminoles 63-60. But Saturday in the second matchup, SU couldn’t duplicate that success. FSU finished 60% from beyond the arc, well above its 33.2% average 3-point shooting percentage on the season.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (8-9, 2-4 Atlantic Coast) 76-71 loss to Florida State (10-5, 4-2 ACC): 

Syracuse’s defense lacks consistency

The Orange started strong against FSU, holding the Seminoles to 18 points and 2-of-6 from deep for the first 15 minutes. But then FSU went on an 8-0 run just before halftime, slicing into SU’s somewhat comfortable lead and making it a one point contest going into the break. The Seminoles scored 18 points in the final five minutes, including three 3-pointers. 

Syracuse’s defense forced a crucial shot clock violation in the final minute, but it wasn’t enough. Defense has been its biggest issue all season, as head coach Jim Boeheim has repeatedly iterated, but the Orange have flashed potential recently. They showed spurts of strong defensive play against Miami and Wake Forest on the road but were also porous at times. They played their best game of the season against Pittsburgh, one of the conference’s worst teams. 

On Saturday in the Dome, FSU scored multiple buckets late in the shot clock by dishing the ball into the paint and converting near the rim. Joe Girard III was late to the close-out at the end of the first half and Mills knocked down a 3-pointer from the left side.

Those trifectas continued to sink in the second half, as FSU got more wide-open looks. RayQuan Evans made two 3-pointers in the first five minutes, created when teammates drove inside and then kicked the ball back out. Florida State started 4-of-5 from deep in the second half, and used that to open up looks in the paint. 

Once again, Edwards got into foul trouble on defense. He had to sit out at the start of the second half after picking up three fouls, though he didn’t foul out for the first time in five straight games. Frank Anselem, SU’s backup center, also picked up three fouls in six minutes. 

Against a taller FSU team, SU rebounds well

The Seminoles are the tallest team in Division I, according to KenPom, but Syracuse grabbed more contested boards Saturday afternoon against FSU. 

The Orange won the rebounding battle 29-25, with seven apiece from Edwards, Cole Swider and Jimmy Boeheim. Swider’s defensive rebound late in the first half allowed Girard to hit Jimmy in transition for a bucket, giving SU a 32-28 lead at the time. Jimmy went up for an offensive board in traffic but couldn’t make the ensuing wide-open dunk. He was there for a crucial offensive board — and putback — on a missed layup from Edwards in the final 40 seconds. 

Cole Swider with his 2nd strong offensive showing vs. FSU

In the first Syracuse-Florida State meeting, Swider had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Saturday, he finished 4-of-7 from 3 with 17 points. 

He seemed to find his stroke from deep. Swider swished a second-chance shot for 3 early on and then hit another to give SU a nine-point lead in the first half. Swider picked his moments to drive inside and take jump-shots, and others to hoist 3-pointers. 

Jimmy Boeheim out, 3-guard lineup in

Jimmy played all 20 minutes in the first half but scored just four points on 2-of-6 field goals. He had a chance at the first bucket with a jump-shot but couldn’t convert the shot. Yet he continued to stay on the floor throughout the first half, and for part of the second half, finishing with 29 total minutes.

Boeheim said Tuesday that John Bol Ajak had been SU’s best forward off the bench at practice, so Ajak got minutes against Pittsburgh at the end of the first half. Freshman Benny Williams still isn’t ready, Boeheim has said. Neither Williams nor Ajak played on Saturday.

Later in the second half, Boeheim switched to a three-guard lineup that featured Symir Torrence in place of Jimmy. Torrence had SU’s only bench points, driving to finish at the rim and then dishing a deep pass to a wide-open Edwards for a dunk. On an off-day for Jimmy, it was Torrence who got the opportunity for more minutes. Jimmy returned in the final minute for a putback bucket, but ultimately it wasn’t enough.

Published on January 15, 2022 at 5:37 pm

Contact Roshan: rferna04@syr.edu | @Roshan_f16