Coming into the game against Florida State as one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country, Syracuse hit 10 threes and shot 40% from deep.
And it didn’t matter.
The Seminoles blew out the Orange 90-74 on Saturday night to hand Syracuse its fourth loss in five games, and second in a row after the Orange lost 81-71 to Wake Forest on Dec. 31. Despite a back-and-forth affair in the first half, Florida State pulled away in the second half with 10 minutes to play, fueled by a 7-0 run that dropped the Orange to 6-8.
Chris Bell/Three-Point Shooting: A+
For the first time this season, Syracuse put together a competent shooting performance from beyond the arc. The Orange made 10 of their 25 three-point attempts, with seven coming in the second half.
A lot of that production is thanks to forward Chris Bell, who was shooting 21% from beyond the arc this season before playing the Seminoles. In 22 minutes off the bench, Bell was a perfect 4-for-4 from deep and ended as the team’s leading scorer with 15 points. It was the type of performance that Syracuse fans have been clamoring for from Bell and the Orange, and even if it wasn’t enough for the win, shooting displays like this bode well for Syracuse’s long-term outlook this season.
Paint Presence: C-
Paint control hasn’t been a problem for the Orange this season, but the Seminoles had their way in the restricted area against Syracuse, outscoring them 40-26. Florida State outrebounded the Orange 36-31, one of the few times Syracuse has lost the rebound battle this year.
Second-chance points weren’t an issue, but the Seminoles also shut down plenty of drives to the basket from the Orange, collecting 6 blocks. Florida State forward Taylor Bol Bowen feasted on the inside against Syracuse, and he was responsible for half of his team’s block total while grabbing 10 rebounds. Paint presence wasn’t why the Orange lost this game, but a better performance near the rim would have made this game a lot closer.
Turnovers: F
At times this season, it’s been hard to pinpoint what the Orange have struggled with the most. Against the Seminoles, that wasn’t the case. Paint problems aside, Syracuse lost because of the 15 turnovers it committed with its inability to take care of the ball.
Florida State came into this matchup averaging 9.2 steals per game and even with the return of starting point guard J.J. Starling, it forced 9 against the Orange. That put too much pressure on an already susceptible Syracuse defense in transition, as the Seminoles scored 16 points off Syracuse’s miscues with 13 of those coming on the fast break. Seeing as the Orange lost this game by 16 points, it’s hard not to think about how different the final score could have been without all the lost possessions.
Despite the lopsided score, there were bright spots for the Orange. Those bright spots are ones that Syracuse will look to replicate in its next game against Georgia Tech, especially if it wants to avoid dropping to 6-9 after a 20-win season last year.
