Syracuse took care of business against Cornell with a double digit win. The performance wasn’t as inspiring as what we saw a few days ago against Brown in a 31-point win. However, the SU faithful should be happy this game was even played as it contributes to the win column which could be crucial in a few months. In the spirit of first semester grades coming out, let’s pull out our report cards.
Buddy Boeheim: A-
One of the questions coming into today’s game was ‘how would Buddy Boeheim follow up his big game against Brown?’ Well he put up another 20+ point outing despite hitting just two three-pointers. The guard was scoring at will in the paint and displayed his versatility. So Buddy bounced back against the Bears and Big Red, but can he keep it up against stiffer competition? We’ll find out in the next few days.
Jimmy Boeheim: A
Classic stat line for Jimmy Boeheim: 16 points on 8-12 shooting with seven rebounds. Fans anticipated watching the former Cornell player against his old squad. The forward continued his streak of consistent play on both ends of the floor.
Jesse Edwards: B
The Netherlands native was active on both ends of the floor and used his size to his advantage. Cornell isn’t used to seeing the length Edwards possesses so they struggled to avoid his wingspan in the paint. On the offensive side, the big fella had some nice finishes but seemed tentative at times as well in the key. Oh also, he needs to stop fouling out.
Cole Swider: A+
Cole Swider stepped up big for Syracuse tonight. Without the Villanova transfer, SU maybe doesn’t pull that win out. Swider tallied 21 points which was good for second on the team behind Buddy. The shooter was 8-12 from the field and 3-5 from range.
Joe Girard: C-
Not JG3’s best outing tonight. Just five points for the Glens Falls native making just two of his seven shots. On top of that, the junior was in and out of the contest due to some careless turnovers. Girard owns five turnovers from this evening’s game, he’ll need to clean that up with the ACC slate on the horizon.
Symir Torrence: B
Obviously, Symir Torrence gets a much smaller sample size than anybody else so consider that. The Marquette transfer was effective on the offensive end with four assists. However, the reason why Torrence isn’t playing more minutes still is his struggles on the defensive side of the floor. He’ll need to continue to progress in the zone defense to see more time.
Benny Williams: B+
The true frosh logged 14 minutes against Cornell. SU fans have just been waiting for signs of progression from the IMG Academy product. Some of those flashes in the pan were on display against the Big Red. Williams was alert on the defensive end and had an impressive two-hand slam in fast break.
Frank Anselem: C
Not much to say about Anselem. The center played eleven minutes but didn’t do much aside from logging a block. The Lagos, Nigeria native needs to keep improving, especially with Bourama Sidibe back in the fold.
