Syracuse basketball wrapped up its preseason with a 97-64 win over neighbors LeMoyne. The Orange got off to a much stronger start than against IUP, jumping out to an early 23-8 lead. The Dolphins would not go away quietly, trading blows with the Orange late in the first half and Syracuse only took a nine point lead into the locker room.
Andrew White III: Ready to Lead the Offense? 
The transfer guard was the dominant force on offense on Tuesday that Orange fans were hoping for, and possibly expecting, when he announced his decision to come to Syracuse back in August. He nailed five of his six three point attempts in the first half en route to 19 points before the break. He finished the game with 24 points on 8-12 (6-10 from three). He has been mostly playing the two for the Orange and has proven that he can score the ball consistently. Obviously, his two games in an Orange uniform were against Division II schools, but he has proven to be the most effective scorer on the Orange in those games. That should not change much in the games that matter.
Point Guard Play 
Jim Boeheim, in pretty typical JB fashion didn’t change the starting five. That means that sophomore Frank Howard got the nod over graduate transfer John Gillon. Some believed that Gillon would get the start after impressing against IUP, picking up nine assists. Howard finished the game against LeMoyne with 11 and seven points in 25 minutes. Gillon added 14 points and two assists in 14 minutes. Don’t be surprised if Howard continues to be in the starting five but Gillon racks up some serious minutes. He didn’t come here to ride the bench.
Syracuse Needs Tyler Lydon to Score 
Yes, Syracuse won both of their preseason games comfortably. However, they did so without much help from Tyler Lydon, who is supposed to be their best player. He has been strong on the glass. Against IUP, he pulled down ten rebounds and on Tuesday he came up just short of a dobule-double, with eight points and ten rebounds in Tuesday’s rout of LeMoyne. His stat line ended up being respectable but Syracuse is going to need him to be a more consistent scorer if they are going to win their big games this season.
