Busting Brackets
Fansided

Syracuse Basketball: Key takeaways from imposing win over Pittsburgh

By Rudi Richards

SYRACUSE, NY - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Carrier Dome on November 6, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Carrier Dome on November 6, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 11: Quincy Guerrier #1, Marek Dolezaj #21 and Elijah Hughes #33 of the Syracuse Orange (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 11: Quincy Guerrier #1, Marek Dolezaj #21 and Elijah Hughes #33 of the Syracuse Orange (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

1. Quincy Guerrier is developing quicker than some anticipated

For many, the heights that this Syracuse team was going to reach this season were very deflated in comparison to years past. Honestly, this was a fair opinion. Coming into 2019-20 on the back of a first-round loss in last year’s tournament and then losing the likes of Tyus Battle, Oshae Brissett, Frank Howard and Pascal Chukwu – this season was never going to have the hopes that other ones have had over the last decade.

When top recruit Isaiah Stewart opted for Washington ahead of Syracuse there was ominous dismay with Orange fans. Syracuse was able to bring in a number of other recruits for this season and, although none of them were elite-level gets, none of them are to be slept on. Joseph Girard III is the freshman who’s had the biggest impact thus far. He’s established himself as the starting point guard of this program and is looking like he’ll be a leader for the Orange for the coming years.

What’s become evident lately though is the abilities that Quincy Guerrier possesses. Guerrier was a four-star recruit from Thetford Academy. It seemed like it might take the forward a season to really make a name for himself on the college level, and the season did start slowly for him – which was largely down to restricted minutes – however, he is now becoming a key player for this Orange side in his freshman season.

Guerrier scored 10 points and grabbed 8 boards as he helped the Orange roll to victory over Pittsburgh, Saturday afternoon. More than that, it was his toughness in the paint on both ends which really stood out. The freshman forward played 27-minutes off the bench as he gave the Panthers plenty to think about in the frontcourt, which took away a lot of the concentration on Buddy Boeheim and other offensive weapons.

Gurrier recorded three offensive rebounds, as well as getting the line for four free throws – going 2-4. He’s currently shooting 61.5% from the line, something that he’ll get better at with time, so shouldn’t be too much of a concern right now. What should be the focus is how much of a pain he can be for the opposition on both ends. His growing skill set along with his 6-7 200 frame makes him an extremely valuable asset for this Orange side. He’s someone who still has a way to go to get to how good he can be, but also already looks like an NBA-level player at times.

Home/Syracuse Orange