Syracuse basketball is in a very bad spot right now. Last night’s loss to Wake Forest was embarrassing. It was the worst loss of the season without a doubt. Worse than the North Carolina blowout, and worse than losing at home to Florida State. The Orange never had a chance and a large factor was that they got dominated on the glass. The Demon Deacons won the rebounding margin by 13. This wasn’t an outlier.
Syracuse is the worst rebounding team in the ACC. The Orange have the worse margin and give up more rebounds than anyone else. All of this would be different if Jesse Edwards didn’t transfer to West Virginia. The Dutchmen is exactly what the Orange need right now. A big who can be consistent on the glass and score in double figures every game. Maliq Brown has done a solid job considering his size, but in the ACC you just can’t have someone like Brown as your starting center.
The impact of what Edwards would have brought to this SU team extends off the court as well. The Orange are one of the youngest teams in college basketball without any true veteran leadership. Benny Williams is the teams longest-tenured player and he has had his fair share of issues. The experience that Edwards would have brought to this ‘Cuse team would have been a difference-maker.
The Orange knew in the offseason that bringing back Edwards was extremely important. It’s obvious watching the team that Autry was expecting to have a star center. Naheem McCloud started at the beginning of the year because the first-year coach knew he needed to have true size on the floor.
While battling injuries this year, Edwards has still found a way to make an impact on a West Virginia team that has gone through more than any team should have to go through. Just imagine what he could have done if he returned to the Orange.
