The 2017 ACC Tournament second round began with a heart breaking loss for Syracuse against Miami.
In a game that Syracuse desperately needed to win to increase their chances of making the NCAA Tournament, the Miami Hurricanes spoiled the fun as Jim Larranaga’s team defeated the Orange in the second round of the 2017 ACC Tournament, 62-57, at the Barclays Center.
Related Story: Pittsburgh ends Georgia Tech's season
The Miami Hurricanes came out with a superb game plan against Syracuse’s zone, and it sure did pay off. The Canes shot 43 percent from the field (including 62 percent from the field in the first half) and drilled nine threes. They moved the ball consistently from side-to-side, placed either Ja’Quan Newton (11 points) or Kamari Murphy (who had a massive homecoming game — 16 points and 10 rebounds) at the foul line and had a player on the baseline creeping behind the back of the zone.
While Murphy and Newton played excellent, the Hurricanes also received monster contributions from Davon Reed (14 points) and freshman Dejan Vasiljevic, who added 13 points on an efficient 4-of-9 shooting (including 3-of-7 from three).
More from Miami Hurricanes
- Miami Basketball: Hurricanes get on the board in 2024 class with Austin Swartz
- Miami Basketball: Norchad Omier returns to Hurricanes for 2023-24 season
- Miami Basketball: 3 keys to beat UConn Huskies in Final Four matchup
- Twitter reaction to Miami Hurricanes buying its way to the Final Four
- Miami Basketball: 3 keys to beat Texas Longhorns in Elite Eight matchup
The Hurricanes had just eight total turnovers — two of them in the second half — and played solid defense, holding Syracuse to just 57 points.
Andrew White III and Tyus Battle combined to score 36 points on 10-of-21 shooting but the Orange received just 13 points from Tyler Lydon and John Gillon, and their bench was non-existent, scoring just two points. Even though the Orange shot a strong 52 percent from the field and a solid 38 percent from beyond the arc, they had 10 turnovers and could never gain consistent momentum despite the thousand of Cuse fans in attendance.
In terms of seeding purposes for the NCAA Tournament, this is a big victory for Miami. They not only notch another critical resume building win, but they get a shot at the best team in the ACC, North Carolina, on a neutral floor tomorrow at noon.
The U may be headed in the proper direction before March Madness but Syracuse is going to be sweating things out over the next few days. The Orange complete their season with a 18-14 record that includes a 10-8 conference record. Syracuse has wins Duke, Florida State, Virginia, Florida State and Miami but they also lost to UConn, Boston College, St. John’s and Georgetown and have a very low RPI.
Next: Five bold predictions for Big Ten Tournament
While the Orange deserve to be in the tournament with 10 ACC wins, their status will likely depend on what happens throughout the rest of the country this week. And that’s why this loss is a killer for Syracuse. It was not only a chance to win a game against a tournament lock but just playing UNC would’ve raised the Orange’s RPI and SOS. Even if the Orange make the field, they are likely headed to the First Four in Dayton.