Syracuse cruised to a victory over Rider 87-52. Here’s the report card for SU’s win:
Offense: A
Alan Griffin and Joe Girard led the way for SU tonight. The tandem shot the lights out from behind the arc, 10-18 combined. It‚Äôs especially convincing with Buddy Boeheim out. Boeheim among a few others was knocked out last Thursday due to COVID contact tracing, hopefully, they‚Äôll be back soon. However, while Buddy, one of the team‚Äôs best players is gone, it‚Äôs good to know SU can score without having to rely on him. Griffin and Girard looked entirely comfortable as they knocked down three after three after three…When Boeheim returns, this squad should have the potential to be unstoppable on the offensive end, not to mention Quincy Guerrier has shown he can take over. Orange fans should feel excited for Boeheim to return to this red-hot lineup.
Freshmen in the Backcourt: A-
Kadary Richmond and Woody Newton got ample playing time tonight. Richmond got his first start Thursday, replacing Boeheim, and didn’t waste it. 16 points, four blocks, and three steals warranted him another start tonight. He played well again. The freshman from Brooklyn looks to be an effective 6th man, or maybe even a potential starter down the road. The diversity of his stats make him so valuable for the Orange. Against the Broncs, Richmond stuffed the stat sheet once again, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and a block. Newton’s also been a huge bright spot, he shot well alongside Griffin tonight with three made triples of his own. Newton is another guy that could be incredibly effective off the bench for this team. These two guys have proven to be incredibly valuable legs off the bench, ones that can play the zone well, facilitate offense, and shoot the lights out.
Big Depth: C-
Bourama Sidibe went down with an injury earlier this season, leaving the center spot with a lot less depth. Jesse Edwards, John Bol Ajak, and Frank Anselem are three main bigs off the bench for the Orange. Edwards hasn’t shown much potential, tonight, that didn’t change, STATS. He seemed a little lost, or even a tad clumsy, fumbling the ball or not being able to hold onto rebounds. Seeing it reminded me of his poor play against Clemson last season in crunch time when he was shoved into crunch time after Marek Dolezaj and Sidibe both fouled out. A ball went through his legs, he seemed lost, etc… It seems not much has changed. Next, the redshirt freshman Bol Ajak. It seems he’s got some potential but he’s not nearly at a point in which he can handle significant minutes. The true freshman, Anselem is the last option. A physical player, who showed he could play both sides of the ball well in just 9 minutes against the Broncs. All three of them have their pros and cons, regardless is the biggest thorn in SU’s side as of now.
