For the second time in three seasons, late-game magic has been the downfall of Syracuse Men’s Basketball at the ACC Tournament. Two years ago, Reece Beekman was the sniper that ended the season. Today, it was Daivien Williamson.
When you glance at that play, it feels like a fitting end to Syracuse’s season. Joe Girard chucking up a horrific shot with the game on the line and bad transition defense, two things fans and media members have blasted this team for all season. It’s been a frustrating season to say the least, and it was a very frustrating end.
If you told us before the game that Benny Williams would have 18 points and 11 rebounds, we wouldn’t believe you. If you then said SU would go on to lose, we might’ve called you crazy. But the Maryland native, in perhaps his final game in Orange, went 3-5 from beyond the arc. If this is the end for Benny in Orange, at least it was a good one.
Even with all the in-game storylines that came out of it, they’re all second nature to what came out of Jim Boeheim’s press conference.
Wow. Boeheim gave really specific answers to questions from media members, and in the end, said nothing. But it’s hard to imagine SU’s bench boss of 47 years would be okay with his career ending on a buzzer-beater loss in the ACC Tournament. If this is the end for Boeheim, it certainly wasn’t a good one. His famed 2-3 zone was ripped to shreds for four straight games, he lashed out at student media members multiple times within a week, and he gave this team NCAA Tournament expectations just for a second-round loss in the ACC Tournament. We know Boeheim’s feelings on NIL and the transfer portal. Well, news flash. They’re only going to get bigger in college basketball, so there’s the logic for Boeheim being ok with retiring right now. But what if this is the end?
So begins what should be one of the most fascinating offseasons in recent memory for Syracuse Basketball. There is currently a grand total of one recruit in this year’s high school senior class, who knows who might transfer, who knows if Girard and Jesse Edwards will return. Last and most of all, who knows if Boeheim has one last year in the tank. But it’s another underachieving year for Syracuse, and there are plenty of unanswered questions.
