Syracuse Basketball: Key takeaways from imposing win over Pittsburgh
3. Need to be more wary when possessing large leads
You can appreciate that Syracuse started this one well. When they had a twenty point lead with around five minutes to go in the first half, everything was looking great and you could just about add another one to the win column. A couple of three-pointers and a couple of free throws later, the lead is almost cut in half as the Orange took a 32-21 lead into the locker rooms.
This is a young team, but it also has a lot of college basketball experience. This experience is important at tough times and it’s just as important when you’re up by twenty – especially the position Syracuse is in. Looking for their fifth straight win in conference play with a huge lead the one thing you can’t afford is letting the opposition come within touching distance. Going in nine points down instead of say fifteen gave the Panthers the chance to regroup in an okay position and ultimately it gave them the chance to win this game.
The second half saw 77 points scored between the two sides as Syracuse had a relatively comfortable lead until the final few minutes. Terrell Brown cut the deficit to just three points with under three minutes left on the clock and suddenly it looked like the Orange could drop one. In the end, the comeback attempt didn’t damage the result for the Orange as Dolezaj and Hughes made clutch plays to stretch the lead and get the team over the finish line. In a game that Pittsburgh never once had the lead and the Orange’s lead altered frantically, you couldn’t tell if it was tied up until the very last free throws.
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Syracuse won’t complain as it’s another huge win to add to the resume, but Jim Boeheim will surely have plenty to make his side work on before they go into the final few weeks of the schedule – a schedule which will continue to have must-win games like the previous ones if the Orange are to turn this season around completely, in the impressive fashion that they are doing, and make a case for themselves come March.