Before Tuesday, Tyler Ennis couldn’t remember the last time he didn’t score in a game.

But against Eastern Michigan’s 2-3 zone — implemented by former Syracuse assistant Rob Murphy after the Orange’s model — Ennis was the only SU starter to not tally a point.

Not one jump shot, layup or free throw. Just four missed field goals, one missed foul shot and one of the most surprising stat lines of Syracuse’s young season.

But it wasn’t a bad one.

“Guys were making shots. It’s not that I don’t want to score,” Ennis said. “With other guys scoring today it wasn’t really necessary for me to.”

No. 2 Syracuse (13-0) ran by Eastern Michigan (7-5) 70-48 in front of 20,306 in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday, and Ennis replaced his scoring touch with a full arsenal of nifty passes. In 32 minutes the freshman point guard dished out nine assists and committed just two turnovers,  helping every other starter finish in double figures.

In SU’s 78-62 win over then-No. 8 Villanova on Saturday, Ennis dropped 20 and his ability to attack the basket was on full display. But his scoreless performance against the Eagles presented a far more effective freshman.

The artful distributor that Syracuse will rely upon heading into Atlantic Coast Conference play.

“He’s a good player whether he scores or not,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “It’s not about points. With Tyler I don’t have that concern about his scoring.”

The first half was a point guard clinic.

Under four minutes in, Ennis Euro-stepped around EMU guard Ray Lee and threw an around-the-back pass to a trailing Jerami Grant.

Lee’s momentum almost took him out of bounds. Da’Shonte Riley went up expecting to block Ennis’ shot and Karrington Ward stood confused in the middle of the paint. With just two quick steps and a flick of his right wrist, Ennis took three defenders out of the play and left Grant with a wide-open lay in.

Just more than a minute later, Ennis gathered a failed lob and whipped a no-look pass across the paint to a cutting C.J. Fair who finished with a dunk. And moments after  that, Ennis threw a no-look, one-handed pass from half court, through a crowd, and Grant finished with a slam.

“He was throwin’ ‘em,” Grant said.

Ennis rounded out his first-half highlight reel with a rainbow lob to Rakeem Christmas, who finished the alley-oop with authority. By halftime, Ennis had six assists.

“He’s looking to pass first and score second,” Christmas said, “so when he has the ball you definitely have to be paying attention.”

When the SU offense stalls moving forward — as it did at times in the second half against Eastern Michigan — the Orange will look to Ennis to improvise late in possessions and create scoring chances.

He showcased his ability do just that on Tuesday. Even when the Eagles’ lengthy zone tried to pressure him up top or trap him in the paint, Ennis’ eyes never fell. Instead he kept them on the shot clock and his teammates, which turned into a season-high 15 points for Christmas, and productive nights from the rest of SU’s starters.

Even with a nonconference schedule that featured wins over Baylor, Indiana and Villanova, the Orange’s ACC schedule will present its toughest tests. Now’s the perfect time for Ennis to prove himself one of the most valuable freshmen in the country.

“He’s a great playmaker and he finds everyone,” Fair said. “Even if you don’t think he sees you he’s going to find you. He don’t have to score a lot to make his impact on the game.”

The second half brought more of the same.

Ennis pantomimed a scoop layup before finding Trevor Cooney on the wing for one of Cooney’s two 3s, then dropped a bounce pass into the waiting hands of freshman Tyler Roberson who put in two.

Ennis closed his day by missing a layup in transition before Boeheim sat him down for the final 3:18. It was an uncontested layup and an easy way onto the scorecard, but the Orange didn’t need it.

The freshman point guard watched his classmates finish up the lopsided win from the bench and was satisfied with his performance after the game.

“I had my opportunities and some of them didn’t go down but that’s nothing big for me,” Ennis said. “If it means me not scoring, or them scoring, it’s whatever. I’m happy to do it.”

Published on December 31, 2013 at 8:46 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse