WASHINGTON, D.C. — Syracuse (6-2) fell to Georgetown (3-3), 79-72, at the Verizon Center on Saturday afternoon. It was the Orange’s first game without head coach Jim Boeheim, who started serving his nine-game NCAA-sanctioned suspension. It was also the first game of Mike Hopkins head coaching career, and the Orange simply couldn’t compete with the hosts inside.

Here are three quick reactions from SU’s second straight loss.

1. Not enough

Syracuse is going to be smaller than a lot of teams it faces this season. Inevitably, it’s going to have trouble rebounding the basketball and defending the post. And when it does, the Orange needs to thrive in transition and on the perimeter.

Against the Hoyas, Syracuse shot a bleak 7-for-27 from 3, and didn’t give enough offensive production aside from senior point guard Michael Gbinije. Gbinije led the Orange with 23 points, and Trevor Cooney was SU’s next-best perimeter scorer with an inefficient 11 on 3-for-12 shooting. Freshman Malachi Richardson struggled for the second straight game, shooting 1-of-8 from the field and with just two points.

In Syracuse’s 66-58 overtime loss to Wisconsin on Wednesday night, it was clear that the Orange will struggle in grind-it-out games against quality opponents. That was certainly the case against Georgetown, as SU didn’t shoot well enough to compensate for the lack of rebounds and stops.

2. Overmatched inside

Syracuse’s worst-case scenario played out against Georgetown — that the Hoyas had a player that was simply too big for the Orange to stop. Seven-foot senior Bradley Hayes dominated SU inside, as the Orange cycled Dajuan Coleman and Tyler Lydon into the center spot of the 2-3 zone.

Hayes finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds. In the first half, most of his eight points were off post-ups on the block. In the second, Hayes crashed the offensive boards with abandon and helped Georgetown earn extra possessions. SU was also hurt inside by brawny 6-foot-7 forward Marcus Derrickson, who had 13 points, nine rebounds and even stepped out to hit two 3s.

Syracuse forged an improbable comeback in the second half, but it was the Hoyas’ size that built a lead they never gave up.

3. Making it count

Needing a comeback in the second half, Hopkins went with freshman guard Frank Howard instead of Richardson for a good chunk of time. Howard didn’t stuff the box score — finishing with four points, four rebounds and two assists — but he injected life into an anemic Syracuse offense by attacking the rim.

Howard, who hadn’t played at all in Syracuse’s prior two games, has been behind Kaleb Joseph in the Orange’s tight guard rotation so far this season. But he played at the start of the second then checked in and out for Tyler Roberson in the closing minutes, providing length and energy to Syracuse’s extended zone.

Howard’s first meaningful minutes coincided with SU’s late push, even it was muffled by the Hoyas in the end.

Published on December 5, 2015 at 3:18 pm