• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

New York Sports Today

New York Sports News Continuously updated

Lucas Taylor’s game-high +14 plus/minus propels Syracuse past Virginia

March 9, 2025 by The Daily Orange

Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Lucas Taylor’s mindset throughout his basketball career has been based on his defensive play. Growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and playing four college seasons at three different schools, he’s lived by the same mantra: don’t let people score on you.

If you get scored on, you must score back. Then, you can make a stop on the next play. No matter what, an opponent’s breakout game shouldn’t be at your expense.

In one of the final games of his college career, Saturday night versus UVA, Taylor lived by his motto. As SU’s primary on-ball defender, he shut down the Cavaliers’ leading scorer Isaac McKneely. Mixed with an efficient 3-for-5 shooting day from beyond the arc, Taylor’s game-high plus-14 plus/minus helped Syracuse (13-18, 7-13 Atlantic Coast) defeat Virginia (15-16, 8-12 Atlantic Coast) 84-70 in its regular-season finale.

“That’s what I really hang my hat on, being a two-way player,” Taylor said postgame.

While Taylor has struggled to find an offensive footing in his first season with the Orange, his defensive prowess has made him a mainstay in the starting lineup over the final 18 games of the season. Fellow guard Jaquan Carlos identified Taylor as SU’s best perimeter defender, meaning he’ll often guard the opponent’s best player.

That was the case again versus the Cavaliers. While UVA’s offense entered with an ACC-worst 64.8 points per game, McKneely provided a spark with a team-leading 14.2 points per game and a 41.7% clip from 3.

Taylor took the challenge against McKneely and instantly made an impact. The 6-foot-5 SU guard revealed postgame he was familiar with McKneely’s game due to playing in a camp years back at Davidson College. Because of his high-level shooting, Taylor said his goal was to be physical off screens and fill the gaps in passing lanes to disrupt McKneely. He did both often.

As Syracuse built an early lead, Taylor stuck within arm’s distance of McKneely. Just under four minutes into the game, UVA’s guard curled off-ball from the right corner through the paint and out the left side. He collected a pass from Elijah Saunders with seven seconds on the clock and attempted to get going against Taylor. McKneely dribbled right to left with a crossover, and as he tried a pick and roll with Saunders, Taylor filled the passing lane to force an errant pass.

While the Orange pulled away through the first half, McKneely attempted to heat up from deep, but Taylor’s continued contests limited him to 0-for-4 from 3 with three turnovers through the first 20 minutes.

“(Taylor) is gonna give his best every day,” Carlos said of Taylor. “He’s gonna give his effort, and he’s gonna guard the best player no matter what. So having somebody like that who, no matter who it is, he’s gonna guard them is a big lift for us.”

Despite having two years of experience at Wake Forest and one year at Georgia State, it wasn’t easy for Taylor to get his feet wet at first at SU. Taylor said through the early portion of the year, he was trying to move too fast, making poor decisions because he was overthinking.

Around Christmas time, SU head coach Adrian Autry told Taylor a message that’s stuck with him since: if you put in the work, your confidence should never waver. When Taylor heard that, he said everything clicked for him. Instead of trying to overuse his speed, he realized he needed to trust it, knowing many opponents of his size wouldn’t keep up.

The message also rang true for his offensive game. Taylor didn’t score in double digits in his first 12 games at SU. Then, starting Dec. 31 against Wake Forest, he rattled off four straight games with 10 or more points.

“I was like, ‘I’ve put in all this work. I’ve done all this for all these years. What am I overthinking it for?’” Taylor said.

The rest of his season has seen the classic ebbs and flows that come with being a contributing scorer. He notched a season-high 19 points against Cal on Feb. 1 but was shut out against VT a week ago. Versus the Cavaliers, Taylor used his scoring in the second half to seal the victory for the Orange.

After dropping five points in the first half with a fadeaway mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer, Taylor started the second half with a 3 to put SU up by 20 points. Just 45 seconds into the second frame, guard J.J. Starling passed left to right to Taylor directly in front of Syracuse’s bench. Taylor stepped into the shot and, with no hesitation, pulled it.

Minutes later, Starling collected his own rebound off a missed 3 and passed it to Taylor at the top of the key. With McKneely draped on him, Taylor crossed over right to left, spun back inside at the elbow and rattled it home on a contested jump shot. Earlier in the season, it was a shot Taylor likely wouldn’t have even considered. But 31 games in, his confidence was at an all-time high.

Taylor’s hot stretch continued 40 seconds later. The guard took a contested look from the right corner and hit nothing but nylon, racing down the court with a backward jog while signaling in celebration with three fingers on his right hand toward the Orange’s bench.

The right-wing 3-pointer was his third of the night, as he finished with 10 points in the second half and 15 overall to halt any late Virginia threats.

The offense was an added plus, but it’s no secret Taylor’s defense is largely why the Orange came out on top. Saturday’s spark from Taylor was a sign of a season progression. And as SU now reaches sudden death to keep its season alive, it can’t afford a game without Taylor playing at his best.

“He did a tremendous job defensively,” Autry said. “He made it hard for (McKneely), and that’s what we need (Taylor) to do.”

banned-books-01

The post Lucas Taylor’s game-high +14 plus/minus propels Syracuse past Virginia appeared first on The Daily Orange.

Filed Under: Syracuse

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • LIVE DISCUSSION: The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, 7:00 PM ET on ESPN
  • The Brooklyn Podcast: Pooch and Collin’s LIVE Reaction to the NBA Draft Lottery
  • Sigh. Brooklyn Nets to pick eighth overall in the 2025 NBA Draft following lottery
  • (no title)
  • Jets Sign Fourth-Round WR Arian Smith

Categories

Archives

Our Partners

All Sports

  • 247 Sports
  • Bleacher Report
  • Elite Sports NY
  • Empire Sports Media
  • Empire Writes Back
  • MSG Networks
  • New York Daily News
  • New York Times
  • New York Post
  • Newsday
  • OurSports Central
  • SNY - SportsNet New York
  • The Sports Daily
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today
  • WFAN Sports Radio
  • YES Network

Baseball

  • MLB.com - Yankees
  • MLB.com - Mets
  • Amazin Avenue
  • Last Word On Baseball - Mets
  • Last Word On Baseball - Yankees
  • MLB Trade Rumors - Yankees
  • MLB Trade Rumors - Mets
  • Rising Apple
  • Yanks Go Yard

Basketball

  • NBA.com - Knicks
  • NBA.com - Nets
  • Amico Hoops - Knicks
  • Amico Hoops - Nets
  • Daily Knicks
  • Hoops Hype - Knicks
  • Hoops Hype - Nets
  • Hoops Rumors - Knicks
  • Hoops Rumors - Nets
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball - New York Knicks
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball - Brooklyn Nets
  • Nets Daily
  • Nets Wire
  • Nothing But Nets
  • Posting And Toasting
  • Pro Basketball Talk - Knicks
  • Pro Basketball Talk - Nets
  • Real GM - Knicks
  • Real GM - Nets

Football

  • New York Giants
  • New York Jets
  • Big Blue Interactive
  • Big Blue View
  • Gang Green Nation
  • Giants Gab
  • Giants Wire
  • Gmen HQ
  • Jets Fix
  • Jets Gab
  • Jet Nation
  • Jets Wire
  • Last Word On Pro Football - New York Giants
  • Last Word On Pro Football - New York Jets
  • NFL Trade Rumors - Giants
  • NFL Trade Rumors - Jets
  • Our Turf Football - Giants
  • Our Turf Football - Jets
  • Pro Football Focus - Giants
  • Pro Football Focus - Jets
  • Pro Football Rumors - Giants
  • Pro Football Rumors - Jets
  • Pro Football Talk - Giants
  • Pro Football Talk - Jets
  • The Gang Green
  • The Jet Press
  • Total Giants
  • Total Jets
  • Turn On The Jets
  • Ultimate NYG

Hockey

  • All About The Jersey
  • Blue Line Station
  • Blue Shirt Banter
  • Elite Prospects - Devils
  • Elite Prospects - Islanders
  • Elite Prospects - Rangers
  • Eyes On Isles
  • Last Word On Hockey - Devils
  • Last Word On Hockey - Islanders
  • Last Word On Hockey - Rangers
  • Lighthouse Hockey
  • Pro Hockey Rumors - Devils
  • Pro Hockey Rumors - Islanders
  • Pro Hockey Rumors - Rangers
  • Pro Hockey Talk - Devils
  • Pro Hockey Talk - Islanders
  • Pro Hockey Talk - Rangers
  • Pucks And Pitchforks
  • The Hockey Writers - Devils
  • The Hockey Writers - Islanders
  • The Hockey Writers - Rangers

Soccer

  • Last Word on Soccer - NYC FC
  • Last Word on Soccer - Red Bulls
  • Last Word on Soccer - Sky Blue FC
  • MLS Multiplex - NYC FC
  • MLS Multiplex - Red Bulls
  • Once A Metro

Colleges

  • Against All Enemies
  • Big East Coast Bias
  • Busting Brackets
  • College Football News
  • College Sports Madness
  • Forgotten 5
  • Inside The Loud House
  • Orange Fizz
  • Rumble In The Garden
  • Saturday Blitz
  • The Daily Orange
  • The UConn Blog
  • Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
  • Zags Blog

Footer

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in