Trevor Cooney scored 25 with 21 coming in the first 10 minutes of the game. But SU had already built a lead and would not relinquish it as the Orange topped Wake Forest 83-55.
In Cooney’s absence in the final 30 minutes, Michael Gbinije and Tyler Roberson stepped up big for the Orange. For Gbinije, he finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds, and has scored in double figures in every game this season, while Roberson finished up with 16 points and 13 rebounds, for another double-double.
There are still concerns for this team however. A big one coming out of the game against Wake Forest has to be fouls. Syracuse was called for fouls seemingly on every few possessions. DaJuan Coleman and Tyler Lydon each picked up 4 fouls well before the midway point of the second half, and Tyler Roberson was not too far behind. Seven players to see the court for the Orange picked up at least 2 fouls, and 3 picked up at least 4 fouls—DaJuan Coleman, Tyler Lydon and Chino Obokoh.
Another issue is the disappearance of players for a period of time. It was ok in a game like today against Wake Forest, but at some point everyone on the Orange has to play relatively well at the same time, right?
When Cooney was red-hot in the first half, nobody else could hit a shot. When Cooney went cold the final 30 minutes of the game, everyone else was there to pick up some of the slack. But imagine if they could all play well at the same time. Then the Orange would really be a dangerous team.
It shouldn’t go unnoticed either that Chino Obokoh and Frank Howard each gave Jim Boeheim some quality minutes. Howard only scored 5 points, and Chino only grabbed 3 rebounds, but they held their own and showed they could play ACC level basketball for prolonged periods of time.
All in all, exactly what Syracuse needed today – a big win against a team that isn’t by any means a top-level team. Now we wait and see if the good play from today and during the week against BC can carry over to Monday’s game against Duke. Syracuse gets two nice wins against lower level ACC teams, and now faces a stiff test. But for now, let’s enjoy the two ACC wins in a row.
POSTED BY: Seth Goldberg
