3. Syracuse bounces back
The Syracuse Orange squad we saw in Madison Square Garden was a fluke. The Orange looked bad in two losses to the UConn Huskies and the Oregon Ducks but it seems head coach Jim Boeheim has righted the ship, for now, with a quality win over the No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Tyus Battle had another 20-point game, his third of the season, to get Syracuse back in the win column. He finished with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor but his supporting cast also showed up.
Elijah Hughes had a big game for the Orange and has come on strong this season. He’s scored in double figures in all six games for Syracuse so far in 2018-19, averaging 14.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He had 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point land in the victory.
Hughes boosted an Orange 3-point barrage that went 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from behind the arc on the road. Not a bad way to bounce back after losing their Top 25 ranking this past week. They handed the Buckeyes their first loss of the season.
Depth issues have bothered Syracuse some in the early going but when Battle is clicking on offense, their trajectory typically goes in a positive direction. One thing they’ll want to avoid going forward is foul trouble; three players fouled out in the game before it was all said and done.