The game was over within the first 20 seconds when John Bol Ajak turned the ball over and committed a foul. SU leads for a whopping zero minutes and zero seconds in a 73-66 loss at #11 Virginia. SU made it interesting late in the second half but ran out of time in a sluggish offensive performance. Let’s get those red pens out for another postgame report card session.
Also be sure to check out our postgame space: https://twitter.com/OrangeFizz/status/1611878201730514945?s=20&t=8vFesJiZOcOo0rwH2N-rmg
Judah Mintz: B+
The true frosh was second amongst all scorers with 18 points, just behind JG3. The point guard struggled in the first half against the tough defense of Reece Beekman. However, Mintz got going in the second half and finished 7-14 from the field. The blue chip prospect continues to shine in his first year and against top-tier competition.
Joe Girard: B+
Another player that really started slow but caught fire in the second frame. JG3 willed SU back into the ballgame with some crucial jumpers. The senior put up a game-high 19 points with five triples. The Orange go as Girard goes this season and today was another example of that.
Jesse Edwards: D
The third member of SU’s triple-J threat was non-existent offensively today. Edwards scored just four points and attempted a meager five shots. The senior did corral 10 rebounds but if he isn’t a presence in the front court then this squad will sputter as it did today.
Chris Bell: C-
The forward just continues to do one thing and one thing only: shoot and hit threes. That’s about all you get from Bell who acts as more of a rotational role player yet starts for this team. The high four-star recruit did score 8 points and hit all three of his jumpers but he also fouled out and didn’t control a single rebound.
Maliq Brown: B-
The Virginia native had a solid homecoming performance. The true frosh punched in 10 points and garnered 8 rebounds tonight in 36 minutes off the bench. Yeah that’s right 36! The big body forward needs to start moving forward because this is a guy that will play physical, be a presence in the key, and get tough on the glass.
Justin Taylor: B-
JT was solid tonight on both ends of the floor. Taylor logged 23 minutes off the pine this evening and posted 7 points on 3-7 shooting with a couple of assists. The true freshman was playing in his home town and brought a ferocity off the bench that resulted in some good moments on both ends of the floor. The discussion of who should log the most time at the forward spot continues.
John Bol Ajak: D
JBA started his first career game which is nice. However, the South Sudan product played just four minutes and didn’t have any impact in this game.
Symir Torrence: B-
The Marquette transfer provided a spark off of the sideline with 5 assists. Torrence also didn’t turn the ball over in a dozen minutes of action. SU benefitted from getting its veteran guard back after he missed the last game against Louisville. Coach Boeheim should continue to rotate the CNY native for his defensive and passing abilities.
Quadir Copeland: D
We wanted Copeland to get a look today but the true frosh entered the contest for one minute and turned the ball over. Apparently, the IMG Academy product is one of SU’s best practice players but the consistency just isn’t there.
Mounir Hima: C+
The Duquesne transfer was pretty solid in the 14 minutes asked of him today. Hima provided an impact in the back court with some swats and grown man rebounds. With Hima in the game, Syracuse just simply doesn’t get much from an offensive perspective which hinders his grade.
Syracuse drops to 10-6 overall, 3-2 in ACC play and has Virginia Tech next on Wednesday.