Sheesh what an ugly game at the Yum Center. SU barely beats a Louisville team that’s now 2-13. Syracuse looked lethargic offensively and struggled on the glass all night long. It was a very frustrating performance to watch but at the end of the day it’s a road win in the ACC. The Orange move to 10-5 and 3-1 in the ACC. Here’s our postgame report card grades:
Joe Girard III: A
Is Syracuse is even in this game if JG3 isn’t playing? The Glens Falls native led all scorers with 28 points and nailed some critical shots down the stretch of the game. Girard had some sloppy turnovers and interesting shot selection at times but we all have just accepted those things will happen every game at this point. The senior brought his stuff from a shooting standpoint and is a crucial reason why Syracuse pulled this game out.
Judah Mintz: B
The freshman hit his marks in terms of scoring with 16 points and had four assists as well. That’s the good. The bad is the four turnovers, the four fouls, and the seeming lack of effort at points. Judah was sloppy with the basketball running up the floor and when he made mistakes he didn’t show much of a sense of urgency to correct them.
However, the former four-star recruit put his body on the line and flashed his scoring ability at key points to contribute to the winning effort.
Jesse Edwards: B
Defensively, the Dutchman was lights out. Edwards was solid on the glass with 10+ boards and a plethora of swats. The senior’s issues resided on the offensive end where he shot just 4-10 from the floor and was mitigated in the key.
Additionally, Edwards was just 4-8 from the free throw line and missed some great chances to put SU on top at certain points in this game. Once the 7-footer took some time on the pine and watched Mounir Hima take his minutes he seemed to turn things around and had a solid second half.
Benny Williams: D
Not a great showing from Benny. The sophomore just had a career performance four days ago. He follows that up with no field goals and three rebounds in 28 minutes of action…
Chris Bell: C
The only reason the freshman gets a passing grade is because of his 8 points with a pair of three-pointers. Coach Boeheim has absolutely no idea what he’s getting from his forwards on a night to night basis. Bell continues to start and play because nobody has stood out and played better than either Bell or Williams and that isn’t a very high bar.
Justin Taylor: C
Taylor came off the bench in the first half and cleaned things up defensively for Syracuse. JT also had a steal and assist for a transition bucket as well as a triple. The freshman actually played more than Bell tonight with 21 minutes compared to 19. Taylor has obviously earned a spot in the rotation and if he can channel that energy and efficiency he had against Bryant he could play bigger minutes moving forward.
Mounir Hima: B
Hima logged just 8 minutes tonight but was solid off the bench. The Duquesne transfer secured an offensive rebound and assisted a basket. Hima plugged and played to allow Edwards to sit on the bench and reset himself before improving in the second half.
We’ll learn more about this team when it takes the floor next on Saturday against #11 Virginia on the road.
