With just four games remaining, it’s still tough to tell what exactly this Orange team is. So let’s put some numbers behind the season. Here are five numbers that jumped off the page for me when looking at SU’s year.
7 – Consecutive games Andrew White III has scored 20 points
Orange fans are witnessing a historic offensive stretch by White. The grad transfer is averaging 23.9 points per game over his streak. This is the longest string of 20-point games by an SU player since Hakim Warrick did it back in 2005. It’s no secret that White has been Syracuse’s best player this season. When the Orange needs a big shot, White is there to deliver, especially when others are hesitant. The crazy part about this stretch is that White’s best game was completely overshadowed. The senior scored 28 points against NC State on 11-of-19 shooting, but it didn’t compare to the 43 spot from fellow grad transfer John Gillon.
36 – Number of consecutive free throws made by John Gillon
Speaking of grad transfers, Gillon has a nice streak going for himself. The Houston product hasn’t missed from the charity stripe since the 2:07 mark of the second half of the Orange’s win over then No. 6 Florida State. That makes it 207 minutes on the floor since his last miss and is one shy of tying Brandon Triche’s record of 37. When Gillon misses his first free throw attempt against Georgia Tech, send your hate to me in the comments.
35% РTyler Roberson’s free throw percentage since starting 10-of-10
From a great free throw shooter to a poor one. Roberson looked like he finally had figured out his woes from the stripe, but since he missed the second of two against South Carolina, he has been atrocious at the line. Of course, no misses were bigger than the two down the stretch against Louisville in overtime which led to Jim Boeheim’s postgame comment of “I didn’t think he was gonna make it.”
34- Days since Tyler Lydon spent a second on the bench
This figure includes the days that will elapse until the Georgia Tech game. Lydon has been an absolute workhorse for the Orange this entire season. The last time he saw the pine came against UNC, where got less than a minute of rest. Lydon’s points have dipped a little over this string, which could be from fatigue.
2-Number of wins Joe Lunardi says the Orange needs to get into the tournament
With this bubble, two more wins should be enough. https://t.co/sLXLUSVxF8
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 14, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThis seems generous. The marquee wins against Virginia and Florida State must have been enough to overcome the losses. With just four remaining plus the ACC Tournament, this is something Syracuse should be able to accomplish. However, if Orange fans learned anything from last year, it’s to take whatever Lunardi says with a grain of salt.
