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This past Saturday, Syracuse survived a crazy triple-overtime game against Boston College. The Orange led by five with a minute remaining in regulation before BC came back to force overtime. In the second OT period, SU trailed by seven but scored six straight points to eventually extend the game. Syracuse outscored BC 10-1 in the last overtime to come out with a win.

Wednesday, Syracuse faced off against Miami, another Atlantic Coast Conference bottom feeder. Entering Tuesday, the Hurricanes had just one conference win and just five victories overall. It provided Syracuse with another opportunity to push itself away from the bottom of the ACC standings.

Yet that didn’t happen. Syracuse barely led against Miami, and its inability to get stops cost it. The Orange trailed almost the entire first half, and outside of a short portion in the second half, they never had control.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (11-14, 5-9 Atlantic Coast) 91-84 loss to Miami (6-18, 2-11 Atlantic Coast):

Going inside

Syracuse’s game plan on Tuesday was to go inside. The Orange have struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter all season, hitting just 31.8% of their 3s. Against Miami, SU attacked the paint. Eddie Lampkin Jr. received plenty of post-touches early while being guarded by Lynn Kidd. Lampkin used his size to his advantage, backing down Kidd on multiple possessions.

Ten minutes into the first half, Lampkin got deep in the paint while backing Kidd down before getting double-teamed. He kicked the ball out to Chris Bell, who drew a hard closeout. Bell used the momentum of the closeout to fly by his defender and easily pull up for two points.

Lampkin also initiated the pick-and-roll with J.J. Starling as well. Following a solid screen, two players stayed attached to Starling, leaving Lampkin wide open for a dunk on the roll. Starling also showed off his driving prowess. He didn’t look to fire away from the perimeter; rather, he tried getting downhill. Starling and Lampkin combined for 18 points in the first half, while Syracuse had 16 points in the paint.

In the second half, Lampkin’s presence in the post allowed him to show off his passing. He drew help on two different possessions, firing passes to Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Starling on the perimeter. The guards knocked down their 3s on both occasions, making Miami pay for leaving them open.

Cleveland, this is for you

Matthew Cleveland has been hot as of late. In his last five games, he’s averaged 24.4 points. He’s brought his scoring average to over 16 points per game as Miami’s leading scorer. The 6-foot-7 guard is a tricky matchup due to his combination of size and mobility. He plays primarily on the perimeter, though his ability to put the ball on the floor makes him challenging to defend. Cleveland’s array of attacks were on display early against Syracuse.

He floated home Miami’s first shot of the game before pulling up from deep on the ensuing possession. Cleveland aggressively attacked downhill a couple minutes later, drawing a foul. On his next drive, Syracuse provided less resistance to Cleveland, who easily finished, which gave him nine points in five minutes.

By halftime, Cleveland was only one point shy of his season average. He got in the paint one more time, finishing on the run to put Miami up 43-34 with less than a minute remaining in the first half.

Cleveland didn’t stop in the second half. He drew a foul on one of Miami’s first possessions of the second half and scored on a drive soon after. The Orange didn’t have anyone quick enough to deal with his speed that was also tall enough to contest his shots.

With Syracuse looking to come back down the stretch, Cleveland closed the door with a couple of drives. He finished with a game-high 32 points on 10-of-13 shooting.

Bell provides a boost

Bell has had an up-and-down season for Syracuse. Last year, Bell was by far SU’s best 3-point shooter, hitting 42% of his attempts from deep. As a junior, Bell struggled to start the year. After starting the first 13 games, head coach Adrian Autry moved him to the bench. In Bell’s first game off the bench on Jan. 4 against Florida State, he had 18 points. Since then, the junior has only been in double figures four times.

Against Miami, he reached double figures before halftime, scoring 12 on just five shots. The junior was efficient, making his shots count from the perimeter. Bell entered coming out of the under-12-minute timeout and got right to work. He hit a quick mid-range and then his first 3 to cut Syracuse’s deficit down to 18-17.

Multiple times, Miami players came flying at Bell to make sure he didn’t get a clean shot off. Though, he used a simple pump fake, which led to a couple wide-open 18-foot jump shots. Despite the boost Bell provided in the first half, he remained on the bench to start the second, but Autry called on him earlier than he typically does, entering five minutes in.

Bell got on the board in the second half following a defensive stop. Jaquan Carlos raced the other way with Bell at his side. He made just one shot in the second half, failing to replicate his performance after the break.

Porous defense effort

Syracuse’s first-half defense was atrocious. It allowed Miami to shoot 54.8% from the field and score 43 points. The Hurricanes’ offense isn’t a world-beater, averaging 75 points per game, which ranks right in the middle of the ACC. Though, SU allowed them to do whatever they wanted in the first half.

Coming out of the break, SU’s effort on the defensive end was slightly higher, providing more on-ball pressure and more resistance on Miami’s drives, which was non-existent in the first half. Jyáre Davis and Cuffe pressured Jalil Bethea on the perimeter, forcing him into a turnover. Cuffe raced up ahead to lay the ball in, giving Syracuse its second lead of the game with 13:32 remaining.

That effort was short-lived. Syracuse still gave up a litany of open looks from the perimeter due to a couple miscommunications. Its transition defense also continued to be a point of concern. Following an SU missed shot, Miami raced the other way. At one point, it was a one-on-five situation. It didn’t lead to points due to a misplaced pass from the Hurricanes, but it was representative of Syracuse’s defensive struggles.

Syracuse cut its deficit down to three multiple times down the stretch, but each time, Miami had an answer. First, Bethea knocked down a deep 3. Then Paul Djobet hit another one prior to a wide-open layup in transition. The quick run helped put Miami up eight points with 4:48 left. The Hurricanes finished the game with 10 3-pointers while shooting 55.4% from the field.

Published on February 11, 2025 at 9:28 pm

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