Syracuse Basketball: Orange bounce back with productive victory over Colgate

Going into Wednesday’s game, it was pivotal that Syracuse Basketball got their first win of the season. An efficient shooting game resulted in them doing just that.

After a very feeble season opener last week, the Orange needed to show up against a tough Colgate side. In game one, there were so many points of the game where it was evident that Syracuse Basketball needed to improve, and they were able to make strides in the right direction last night, as they comfortably defeated the Raiders.

The main weakness against Virginia was their shooting. Not just the inability to knock down shots, but the obscure shot selection at times. Going up against Colgate was always going to be much less trying for this offense, however, it was a game that Syracuse needed to show that they can score – which they did. ‘Cuse’s team shooting improved from a very ugly 23.6 FG%/17.2 3PT% against Virginia to a healthy 50.9/41.3 against the Raiders.

At the beginning of the night, it looked like the Orange offense could be in for another excruciating night, as it wasn’t able to score a single field goal until just under the fourteen-minute mark. It took a while for them to find their rhythm, but when they did they began to roll. Bourama Sidibe, Orange junior, helped guide his team to a six-point half time lead as he shot a perfect 4-4 from the floor, as well as collecting eight total rebounds in the half. Sidibe was a threat on both ends, bringing the physicality and the stability that the Orange need in the post.

Syracuse continued to keep up its performance in the second. Boeheim’s side was much more patient on offense in this game, and the statistics reflect this. If this side can keep on shooting around 50/40 then it’s going to be a handful and a very tricky team in ACC-play. After ten first-half points, Buddy Boeheim piled it on to the Colgate defense, looking much more confident and in-stride when taking shots. Buddy led the Orange in scoring with 17 points, going 3-5 from beyond the arc.

Elijah Hughes, who’ll continue to be this team’s most important player throughout the season, also looked much more himself. He, too hit three three-pointers, finishing with 14 points on the night. But it was Hughes’ creative game which stands out. The senior tallied eight assists, as the Orange have had to find playmaking elsewhere, following the departure of Frank Howard. The Orange recorded 20 team assists in the game, as they moved the ball very smoothly, creating plenty of nice looks inside and out.

It was certainly a team effort, as the bench contributed with 19 points. Getting the job done pretty quickly in the second half did allow Boeheim to give more minutes to his bench, but it was impressive how they kept up the tempo on offense. Joseph Girard III impressed with his all-around game, at point guard, recording four dimes as well as three steals. It’s clear the Boeheim is also impressed, as it was announced following the game that Girard III will start Syracuse’s next game against Seattle on Saturday.

Defensively speaking, Syracuse was solid again. Colgate was able to score but the Orange clamped them down on many occasions. The Raiders took 60 shots from the field, only 18 of which were successful. There were times when the Raiders were able to get plenty of separation outside of the perimeter, but on the whole it was a solid effort by the defense. Syracuse stayed strong inside on both ends – Marek Dolezaj and Sidibe were especially impressive here. Dolezaj grabbed 4 offensive boards. He was very impressive both on and off the ball, as he made probably the highlight play of the night, with his swift spin move and two-handed slam early on in the second half.

All in all, this was a very sweet victory for the Orange. It was essential that they got this one. It was good to see the whole team working as a unit on both ends of the floor,  Sidibe get a big game in early on with 12 points and 14 rebounds, the freshmen get productive minutes in and great to see Howard Washington Jr. back after suffering from long-term injury problems. The difference between an 0-2 start and a 1-1 start can affect your entire season. It’ll be a relief for this Orange side to get into the win column nice and quickly, but now the hard work begins.