Is Syracuse's Tendency to Blow Leads Going to Haunt Them?
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Feb 28, 2024
Can Syracuse basketball make a run in March with this defense? Fans are hoping the Orange can make the NCAA Tournament but its recent blown lead creates questions.
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Hello, welcome into this Orange Fizz reaction
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I'm Liam Griffin, breaking down Syracuse's 88-85 victory over Notre Dame in a game
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that frankly should not have been close as it was. The big question afterwards was, how in the living heck did Syracuse come this
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close to blowing a 29-point lead? At one point, the Orange were up 49-20 on the Irish fairly late in the first half
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before a 9-0 ND run sparked a run that would really continue up until the end
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of the game when Braden Shrewsbury missed a game-tying three, missed a pair of game-tying threes rather, and Marcus Burton missed one as well
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After SPU made a pair of free throws, Notre Dame came down and scored in what was
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really an encapsulation of Syracuse's defensive effort throughout the second half, just allowing Marcus Burton to drive right to the rim and score, and for
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the most part, letting Braden Shrewsbury take whatever three-pointers he wants. He made seven in Notre Dame's victory over Louisville on Wednesday, and
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today he responds by making six three-pointers in the second half alone
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And he was shooting them in a variety of ways as well, whether it was off a pick
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a catch and shoot, a dribble, take a step to in either direction, then pop a three-pointer
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He was getting whatever he wanted from three, and the defensive rotations for Syracuse were incredibly slow
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There were multiple times where Kwadier Copeland was caught off a man, multiple times where Kerry Booth, to name a guy, was caught down low with not a man
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in sight and laid it in for an easy deuce. That just can't happen going forward
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If you want any help with making the NCAA tournament, Judah Mintz got into foul trouble as well, picking up four of them
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And Adrian Autry said it as well post-game, we need to figure out how to carry the momentum from the first half
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into the second half. Syracuse only let up 29 points in the first half
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After the break, they let up 56 points. 56 points, that almost doubles what Notre Dame scored in the first half
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Then against NC State the other night, Syracuse was up 15 at the half, allowed the Wolfpack to take the lead at one point late before eventually
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rallying to take care of business in that one. It's an issue that needs to be resolved now before you get into Virginia Tech
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on Tuesday at 7. The second half defense just really tough for Syracuse today
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but it ended up not mattering. 88-85, Syracuse takes down Notre Dame
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