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When Naheem McLeod walked up to half court in Tuesday’s game, LSU forward Will Baker reminded him of when they were teammates at the National Basketball Players Association camp back in high school.

“Yeah, I do remember that, but you’re not scoring tonight,” McLeod replied to Baker.

He was right. On Tuesday, Baker, a graduate transfer who previously played at Nevada and Texas, wasn’t a factor for LSU (4-3, 0-0 Southeastern Conference). He was the Tigers leading scorer, entering with over 16 points per game, but he scored just three points in 16 minutes. Removing the 7-foot versatile forward from the game helped Syracuse (5-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) blow out the Tigers 80-57 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

“I thought Naheem was physical with (Baker),” head coach Adrian Autry said. “I thought he didn’t give him any angles. He made him work for everything.”

Baker’s points came early in the first half. He made one free throw after forcing a foul on McLeod and also converted a simple dunk in transition after Syracuse turned the ball over. But aside from that, he couldn’t get the ball to the rim.

Matched up with McLeod or Maliq Brown, Baker frequently posted up down low, trying to use his height. But McLeod’s 7-foot-4 frame made life difficult.

Syracuse scored its first points after getting out in transition as a result of McLeod’s defense on Baker. McLeod blocked Baker’s shot near the paint as the Orange quickly got the ball up the floor. The ball settled for Justin Taylor in the left wing. Taylor drained one of his two triples of the evening. McLeod finished with three of Syracuse’s eight blocks.

McLeod played tight defense against Baker, who often tried to post him up. In consecutive plays in the first frame, Baker pivoted his way between McLeod and two other Syracuse defenders, searching for an angle to shoot. But he couldn’t beat the shot clock, giving the ball back to the Orange.

“(Naheem) was great, especially the first half — blocking shots, scoring the ball, stopping Will (Baker),” Taylor said.

On the next play, Baker backed McLeod down on the right block. McLeod kept his posture, ensuring physical contact without fouling. McLeod’s defense forced a missed layup off the backboard down low. McLeod said his post defense is an area he wants to continue improving.

Autry said it might have been the first time McLeod has faced someone of Baker’s size this season. Autry was mostly pleased with McLeod’s ability to shut down angles and stay in front of him. And when McLeod wasn’t on the floor, Autry said he liked seeing Brown use his speed and keep pressuring the ball with Baker’s threat as a shooter — he entered entering with a 50 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc.

“It was hard for (LSU) to get the ball inside,” Autry said. “That was something that we wanted to do (and) make it hard for him because he’s a really good offensive player and he’s a big part of what they want to do.”

Baker’s ability to hit deeper shots wasn’t on display Tuesday, which was a result of Syracuse’s defense collectively. The Tigers shot just 2-of-22 from deep. McLeod said he’s so used to being near the rim and protecting it, but that he’s working on getting out to the 3-point line to prevent deep shots from front court players.

Taylor said the team had been focusing on Baker as soon it got back from the Allstate Maui Invitational. Syracuse knew he was a threat both inside and outside. Though Baker was removed as a factor on Tuesday, he didn’t get too much help from his teammates. Jordan Wright led LSU with 15 points while Jalen Reed added 14. The next highest scorer had seven points.

Aside from scoring the basketball, Baker also entered as the team’s leading rebounder, but retrieved none against Syracuse. Brown dominated the glass for the Orange, recording a team-high nine rebounds while McLeod notched six. Baker would’ve had an offensive rebound, but was called for a foul.

Foul trouble is what reduced Baker’s minutes. He averages 26, including Tuesday’s statistics. He picked up his third foul a minute into the second half and was forced to sit for about four minutes until the 12:34 mark. After that, he only played for 57 more seconds because Syracuse built a near 20-point lead.

“I just took the challenge to try to get (Baker) out of his game and just be there for my guys,” McLeod said.

Published on November 28, 2023 at 11:50 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini