There was no shortage of urgency inside the Dome on Saturday afternoon — and by the final buzzer, no shortage of frustration either, as Syracuse fell 86–75 to Miami. Entering the game desperate for momentum, the Orange instead saw familiar issues resurface, as Miami dictated the terms defensively, controlled the glass, and silenced Syracuse’s biggest offensive weapons.
The loss marked Syracuse’s third straight conference defeat, a setback which shut the door on any postseason hopes. So how did Syracuse fall short, once again, in such a meaningful game?
1. Nate George on Miami’s defense: They were topblocking certain plays that prevented Tyler [Betsy] and [Nate] Kingz shots. They also got back in transition pretty well and we couldn’t really find open shots. We need to get better.
Miami traveled to Syracuse with a plan: stop the three pointer…and the Hurricanes did just that. In the loss, Syracuse shot 23% from beyond the arc, which matched the Kansas loss in November, for its lowest clip of the season. A big reason: SU’s best three point shooters in Tyler Betsy and Nate Kingz. The forward and guard went for a combined 2-6 from deep. Even though four of SU’s top scorers hit double digits (in Sadiq White, William Kyle, Donnie Freeman and J.J. Starling), it couldn’t make up for SU’s three point struggles.
2. William Kyle on rebounding trouble: I feel like this isn’t just a Miami thing, we’ve struggled for a little bit now in conference play…I feel like [Miami center] Ernest Udeh was super aggressive on the boards. We need to do a better job of locating guys.
In the loss, Miami overwhelmed Syracuse on the glass, out-rebounding the Orange 37–21, a disparity that repeatedly led to second-chance points and stalled any chance of sustained momentum. To put it in perspective, Syracuse’s –16 rebounding deficit was more than triple their next-worst rebounding margin in ACC play this season.
3. Miami Head Coach Jai Lucas on Kiyan Anthony: He’s not shy. He’s gonna play. When he gets hot, he can get 13, 15, 20 in the game. Once it happened, we impacted the ball more and picked up our pickup point on him. We tried to force him out and pressure him more to catch him out of rhythm.
Even in the loss, Kiyan Anthony continued to flash his bright upside, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The freshman found his groove late in the first half with a thunderous fast-break dunk, then carried that momentum into the second, scoring 8 of his 13 points after the break. Miami adjusted defensively once Anthony heated up, but his confidence and scoring ability were evident throughout.
4. Kiyan Anthony reacts to “fire Autry” chants: As a player, when they say “fire coach”, we definitely hear it. You can’t attack a man’s character like that…he’s a person before everything.
Welp, Syracuse fans have every right to be tired and angry. When the Dome roared “fire Autry,” it wasn’t an attack on character — it was a protest of the on-court product. At media day, Adrian Autry made it clear that the NCAA Tournament was the standard. Now, after three straight conference losses, 12–8 Syracuse needs an absolute miracle to reach the NCAA Tournament — and to make it for the first time in the Adrian Autry era.
