Syracuse won its second and final exhibition game of the preseason on Tuesday night by 14 over Southern New Hampshire University. The Orange played a much crisper first half than last week and were leading by 20 at the break after trailing by one to Indiana University (PA) last Tuesday.
Yet, there is still a little cause for concern, as SU was outscored by six, 35-29 in the second half. Despite that, head coach Jim Boeheim was feeling a bit more confident about his group after the strong first half, but the second proved a little more cause for concern.
“The first half was an improvement…As a group, we have to rebound better,” Boeheim said after the game.
After a handful of guys scored in double-figures last week, only two SU starters reached the ten-point threshold. Joe Girard III had a game-high 15, went 9-9 at the foul line, and made two three-pointers. That is what you expect out of Girard on a nightly basis, if not more on the offensive end. Jesse Edwards followed him with 13 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. But, these aren’t the strongest numbers for someone who was six inches taller than any opposing player.
“His baskets last year came from screening for our shooters… he rolled and dunked it… [the post] is not his game,” Boeheim said. “If you can’t score against these guys, what are you going to do against seven-footers? He’s got to be better.”
Outside of those guys, Syracuse’s offense mostly struggled to shoot. The Orange finished 24-61 (under 40%) from the field and 6-20 (30%) from three. The good news is that SU went 18-21 (nearly 86%) from the free-throw line, a place they’ve historically struggled. Syracuse split the rest of its minutes rather evenly, as the other starters, Judah Mintz, Chris Bell, and Benny Williams, all played an average of 23 minutes.
Off the bench, five players also played double-digit minutes. Justin Taylor, Symir Torrence, Quadir Copeland, Maliq Brown, and Mounir Hima all scored and got some run. It’s possible Boeheim goes deep down his bench sometimes, but it’s more likely that rotation is capped at seven or eight guys, and if Edwards gets into foul trouble, nine, based on the minutes’ distribution in these games.
But, let’s circle back to Mintz. He’s had ups and down through two exhibitions preparing for the start of the season on Monday night against Lehigh. He went just 2-10, scored four points, and fouled out with five turnovers against SNHU. That’s not going to cut it.
“He’s still learning. If you’re guarded, you make that simple pass. You can’t have your point guard make five turnovers,” Boeheim said postgame.
The Orange have a few practices to get ready for the season opener on Monday night against Lehigh. That game starts at 8 p.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome.
