If you thought this had been a disappointing season for Syracuse, nothing compares to its 84-91 loss to the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday. On the heels of their gritty 3OT win over Boston College, the Orange laid an absolute egg on the road, falling to 11-14.
This is one of those losses that make you shake your head in disappointment as a fan because there’s no excuse for Syracuse to lose this game. Heading into this one, Miami was 5-18 at the bottom of the ACC conference and had recently snapped a 10-game losing streak. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the loss also puts the Orange in danger of missing the ACC tournament.
Defense: D
Miami’s offense isn’t anything special. The Hurricanes came into the game scoring a solid 75.7 points per game, which ranks in the middle of the country while shooting 32.2% from deep.
None of that mattered on Tuesday, as Miami got everything they wanted on offense, picking apart the Syracuse defense. The Hurricanes shot 55% from the field and 50% from the three-point line, hitting 10 three-pointers. The Orange surrendered 32 points to Miami guard Matthew Cleveland, a career-high, and let his backcourt mate Jalil Bethea score 21 points.
No matter how bad a team’s record is, it’s hard to win games against them when you give up 53 points to its backcourt. The most frustrating part is that Syracuse limited the Hurricanes in transition and scored more points in the paint than them, so it could have won this game if its perimeter defense had been better.
JJ Starling and Eddie Lampkin: A+
The Orange might have struggled on defense, but Starling and Lampkin both had strong offensive performances. Starling finished with 25 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals while finishing as the team’s leading scorer. Lampkin had a monster double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds, adding a game-high 6 assists and making all six free throw attempts.
Outside of forward Chris Bell, who supplied 14 points off the bench, Starling and Lampkin were the only Syracuse players who scored in double-figures. If there’s someone to blame for this loss, it’s not Starling and Lampkin.
Adrian Autry’s Rotations: C-
In head coach Adrian Autry’s second season in charge, the Orange have regressed instead of improving, with some calling for him to be fired.
While it might be too early for that, Autry isn’t helping his case. The rotations still look out of sorts, and deserving players like backup big man Naheem McLeod continue to get limited playing time. McLeod scored two points and grabbed four minutes in his five-minute cameo, and while he shouldn’t be starting over Lampkin, he deserves to play more with how impressive he’s played lately.
Sometimes the coaching battle can make the difference, and it’s hard to say whether Autry has consistently won those.
