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Syracuse’s 85-70 loss at Virginia Tech was arguably its worst since the 29-point drubbing at Illinois in November. The Orange allowed the most points they had in any game this season, and VT’s 11 first-half 3-pointers tied a season-high. Joe Girard III and Jesse Edwards combined for only 16 points, and SU trailed for nearly 38 of the game’s 40 minutes. It was Syracuse’s fourth loss in seven games, dating back to its 73-66 loss at Virginia on Jan. 7.

The sixth-ranked Cavaliers arrived in the JMA Wireless Dome for the second of two regular season meetings between the two teams, presenting Syracuse with another opportunity at a signature win. UVA got out to an early 10-2 lead, but the Orange battled back, keeping the game close the rest of the way. Jayden Gardner hit a clutch midrange jumper with 35 seconds left to help Virginia take a four-point lead.

Judah Mintz and Edwards combined for 34 points, while Gardner had a game-high 17 for Virginia.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (13-10, 6-6 Atlantic Coast) 67-62 loss against No. 6 Virginia (17-3, 7-2):

No Benny Williams, forward position in flux

After Syracuse’s loss to Virginia Tech, in which Benny Williams recorded only seven minutes and didn’t start for just the second time all season, Jim Boeheim said the forward hadn’t been playing well in practice. He added that Williams and fellow starting forward Chris Bell didn’t show him much of anything against the Hokies. Williams had gradually seen his playing time cut with Maliq Brown’s gradual emergence, playing at least 30 minutes just three since December 17.

Before the game Monday, it was reported that Williams wasn’t in the JMA Wireless Dome, with Boeheim expected to provide an update postgame.

Without Williams, Boeheim started Brown for the second straight game. Brown provided a spark early, driving to get a layup before receiving two nice passes for easy looks inside that he converted. The forward got a mismatch with 5-foot-10 guard Kihei Clark on him one play in the second half, and took advantage by converting on a layup. Brown finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

Bell started alongside Brown, but was pulled 15 minutes into the game after Armaan Franklin picked his pocket on the game’s first pass. Franklin’s steal led to two UVA free throws. Justin Taylor replaced Bell, and hit a 3 from the left wing before driving and using a pump fake to hit another shot. The combination of Brown and Taylor helped Syracuse recover from an early deficit and take its first lead at the 8:20 minute mark of the first half.

Mintz continues to shine

With Girard and Edwards struggling to score against Virginia Tech, Syracuse turned to Mintz when it needed baskets. He finished with 21 points, his fifth time hitting at least 20 this season, and is second on SU with a 15.2 points per game average.

Mintz remained the Orange’s go-to scorer on Monday. He drove several times to knock down floaters in the lane, and spun to his left before drilling a contested jumper. Mintz’s effort in the first half helped Syracuse stay in the game — and even periodically lead — with his consistent production.

Mintz played more of a distributor role in the second half, repeatedly feeding Edwards inside for post touches. He notched a key steal with five minutes left, taking it all the way for a layup that tied the game at 57. The guard finished with a game-high 20 points, hitting 61.5% of his shots.

Virginia wins behind the 3

Last Saturday, the Hokies used wide-open 3 after wide-open 3 to handle Syracuse, with most of their looks coming from the corner. SU’s wings either collapsed too hard inside or played up too high, and Virginia Tech used quick ball movement to generate quality attempts, too. Virginia Tech got 33 of its 52 first-half points from beyond the arc, and despite being the eighth-best 3-point shooting team in the conference, had no problem connecting on Saturday.

Virginia, the ACC’s best team from 3-point range, followed a similar formula, routinely looking to the corner for its shots. Franklin hit a 3 from the corner early in the half, and later in the half, the Cavaliers worked the ball inside and kicked to Reece Beekman for a similar look with the shot clock expiring. UVA shot 6-of-10 from deep in the half, helping it take a one-point lead into halftime.

In the second half, though, the Cavaliers struggled with the same shots, and missed their first five attempts from deep before Franklin drilled a 3 to tie it at 54 with less than eight minutes left. The senior hit another two minutes later to give UVA the lead.

But like Virginia Tech, which shot just 16% in the second half, Virginia struggled to match its first-half success, but still did enough to pull out a victory.

Edwards bounces back

After struggling in recent games, notching an average of only 11.5 points over the last two games, Edwards responded with a strong outing against the Cavaliers, who mixed between sending double teams and guarding the center one-on-one. Syracuse’s offense mostly ran through Edwards in the second half, and the senior finished with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

Edwards used multiple different moves to score inside, including a spin move to his left in the first half that resulted in a traditional three-point play. He later backed down the 6-foot-8 Ben Vander Plas to score. Edwards was usually forced to make short passes out of UVA double teams, but in the second half, he made a perfect crosscourt pass to Bell, who sank a 3.

The center, though, fouled out with a minute remaining after Gardner drew a charge as Edwards tried to attack the basket and tie the game.

Published on January 30, 2023 at 9:17 pm

Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_