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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the second time in eight days, Syracuse faced off with SMU. This time, however, SU’s season was on the line. On March 4, the Orange built a 12-point lead at Moody Coliseum with just 10 minutes to go. Yet the Mustangs came storming back, tipping in a shot with two seconds to go to steal a victory.
Time has passed. Syracuse had since embarked on a two-game winning streak, just its second in Atlantic Coast Conference play this season. After a dominant 14-point win over Virginia to cap its season, the Orange defeated FSU in a nail-biter to advance to the second round of the conference tournament.
SU has learned from its losses and grown with each one. The Orange are unequivocally playing their best basketball to keep their season alive. But Wednesday, Syracuse’s recent hot stretch and season came to a fitting end, falling to SMU after being outscored by 17 in the second half. The Orange failed to score until five minutes into the frame, allowing the Mustangs to build on their already-established lead to close the door on SU’s worst season in recent memory.
Here are some observations from No. 14 seed Syracuse’s (14-19, 7-13 ACC) season-ending 73-53 loss to No. 6 seed SMU (23-9, 13-7 ACC) Wednesday in the ACC Tournament Second Round:
Guarding the guards
The trademark of SMU’s attack all season has been its three-guard lineup. Its potent guards B.J. Edwards, Boopie Miller and Chuck Harris often use their quickness to create open looks for themselves and each other. The trio entered the day with a combined 36.3 points per game. They ended Wednesday’s contest with 31 combined points.
Even on SU’s best perimeter defender, Lucas Taylor, the Mustangs’ guards blew by. Miller shot through the right side and elevated for 2. A few possessions later, Syracuse guard Jaquan Carlos tipped the ball at halfcourt, but Edwards used a quick first step to get to the hoop. Even when the Orange broke into a 2-3 zone halfway through the first half, Miller split through the middle with ease to throw a lob pass for the easy flush.
Harris, a 43.4% 3-point shooter, swished an attempt from the left wing to put the Mustangs up 22-21 with minutes to go in the first half. With under a minute to go in the opening half, Carlos’s defense on Miller forced a shot-clock violation, allowing SU to battle back into the game. After the first 20 minutes, the three combined for 17 points, 54.8% of SMU’s total.
Harris swished his second 3 four minutes into the second half, growing the Mustangs’ lead to 10, their largest to that point. A few minutes later, Harris repeated the act.
The Orange often switched between man-to-man and zone defense over the second half, but the Mustangs’ guards stayed in control, commanding the pace of the game and jabbing inside at a high rate. Miller added four points with two assists, while Edwards added another four points. J.J. Starling finished with 16 points, while Carlos and Taylor only combined for four.
Battle of the bigs
At times as of late, the Orange have looked to center Eddie Lampkin Jr. to carry the load. The senior often uses his bruising shoulders and soft touch to make opponents pay. Lampkin, however, fell into trouble for SU early. Facing off against 7-foot-2 center Samet Yiğitoğlu, Lampkin struggled to put his shoulder through the Turkey native’s chest.
With just two shot attempts and two points through the first half, Lampkin also committed two fouls in the first half. In came Naheem McLeod to the rescue. To pair with the Mustangs’ 7-footer, McLeod provided a much-needed rim-protecting presence. He recorded two blocks and four rebounds in just eight minutes, even garnering a board straight over the head of Yiğitoğlu. SMU’s center did return the favor at times, however, grabbing a rebound over McLeod and dishing to Harris for a 3 a few possessions later.
When Lampkin entered back in to start the second half, Yiğitoğlu provided a thunderous slam off a slip pass from forward Matt Cross. While the Mustangs created separation in the early second half, Yiğitoğlu turned the ball over twice inside. Still, his presence on the defensive end mixed with Cross kept Lampkin at bay with five total points, his fewest in a contest since Feb. 5.
McLeod entered in the second half for rare second-half minutes and instantly asserted himself on the defensive end. SU’s center banged into Yiğitoğlu, and the freshman instantly winced in pain, holding his left shoulder. Yiğitoğlu returned minutes later and once and for all iced one of Lampkin’s worst days in a Syracuse jersey.
Assessing the 3
Syracuse’s 3-point shooting hasn’t been its strongest suit throughout the campaign. The Orange shot just 33% from 3 through 31 games, ranking in the bottom third of the conference. Woes continued Tuesday to begin the ACC Tournament. SU went just 2-for-14 from beyond the arc against FSU, missing 12 straight after making two quick.
Versus the Mustangs, the Orange went 6-for-22. Out of the gate, Syracuse immediately knocked down a 3. Off the opening tip, the ball swung to the right corner to Starling, who sank his first attempt from the field. SU quickly went cold with three misses on open looks from Taylor, Jyáre Davis and then Starling. But at the top of the key with eight minutes to play in the first half, Chris Bell hit nothing but net. The 3 broke Bell’s two-game streak without a make from beyond the arc, and put the Orange up 19-18.
As Syracuse battled from behind following a 12-1 run from SMU, the Orange hit two key 3-pointers to cut into the deficit. First, it was Starling, making his second of four attempts from deep. Then, Davis knocked down a straightaway look to cut a nine-point lead to three entering the half.
Syracuse’s second-half woes resulted in a shot-chucking style. Davis converted on one but the Orange finished out with a 2-for-14 performance from deep in the second half, adding on to its misery to end the season.
Out of gas
Every racecar with speeding momentum eventually runs out of gasoline. While SU’s rode its hottest stretch of the season into Wednesday’s contest, it seemingly ran out of fuel versus the Mustangs.
The signs were there throughout the first half. Two scoreless stretches for the Orange ranging over three minutes allowed SMU to build a lead SU eventually climbed back from. Though, in the second half, Syracuse couldn’t get anything going.
Following the two 3s by Starling and Davis, the Orange went scoreless for over five minutes into the half. During the sequence, the Mustangs scored 10 straight, building their lead to 13. Throughout the second half, a stagnant offense became more inert. Contested looks were still taken and missed. Defensive mishaps carried on.
SU’s second half was a culmination of its struggles this season. The Orange tallied just 25 points over the final 20 minutes as SMU cruised to victory with a 17-point second-half advantage.
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