There is no margin for error for this Syracuse team right now. It’s win and you’re going home and SU certainly owned that mentality. The ‘Cuse took it to FSU from the get-go and didn’t slow down until the clock hit triple zero’s and scoreboard read 96-57. The Orange displayed more energy and intensity than we have seen all season.
Oh and for once, Syracuse held a big lead and retained it the remainder of the contest. It’s midterm season so in the spirit of that let’s pull out our report cards and hand out some marks:
Cole Swider: A+
Swider was spectacular on both ends of the floor. The senior played like it was his final time ever lacing up. The Nova transfer played with a relentless attitude from the onset and couldn’t be stopped. Swider led Syracuse with 28 points on 9-15 shooting from beyond the arc.
Joe Girard: A
The point guard looked like an actual point guard. JG3 was hunting mismatches all night using screens to draw switches. What was most impressive today is that the junior was making moves with the intention of drawing a slide and then passing as if he were playing lacrosse.
Symir Torrence: A
Syracuse sorely missed its backup point guard. Torrence was unavailable for the final two games of the season after suffering a concussion versus Duke. The Marquette transfer looked comfortable and played a lot of minutes off the bench today. The 315 native also had some strong takes to the rack.
Buddy Boeheim: B
The first-team All-ACC’er was solid and that was all he needed to be today. Swider led the charge for Syracuse so Buddy just needed to chip in on the side on both ends of the floor. The senior made some nice defensive plays and had some good run outs in transition. Now if you get tournament time Buddy paired up with the hot shooting we saw today, that’s a problem…
Jimmy Boeheim: B
The only thing holding Jimmy back from an A is that he was in foul trouble early and didn’t play much in the first half. The grad student made his presence felt in the second though. FSU had nobody that could cover Jimmy one-on-one but honestly that was probably the least of its concerns.
Frank Anselem: B+
Look we need to temper our expectations of Anselem. He is not and may never be huge offensive threat, but he understands his role and played it well today. The sophomore snared some big offensive boards which led to second chance opportunities. If the Prolific Prep product can do that consistently than he’s a big boost for Syracuse in the offensive end.
Bourama Sidibe: B
The Mali native earned his second consecutive start. Sidibe has played in several ACC Tourney’s before and it certainly showed. However, the center earns a B because he picked up his fourth foul early in the second half and didn’t have much of an impact after that.
