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Led by JJ Starling’s “best game” in a Syracuse uniform, the Orange picked up an important, bounce back win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday, defeating the Panthers 69-58 for the series sweep.

Returning back from a two-game road trip, Syracuse hosted Miami, a team it hasn’t defeated since 2021. The first-half was back-and-forth with both teams trading scoring runs. The Hurricanes developed a lead as large as eight in the first half, but Syracuse trimmed that to a one-point deficit.

The game came down to the final seconds. Syracuse called timeout with 18.6 seconds remaining, tied at 69. And with zero seconds left, Syracuse was ahead 72-69 after a Quadir Copeland buzzer-beating 3-pointer basket.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (13-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) buzzer-beater win versus Miami (12-6, 3-4 ACC)

Down to the wire

In a very back-and-forth game, this matchup came down to the final few minutes — a time where both sides found the 3-pointer. Miami’s Bensley Joseph and Nijel Pack made 3s while Syracuse’s Chris Bell and J.J. Starling made triples and the game was tied at 62. Both teams had periods where the 3-pointer wasn’t falling for them in the game.

Following a missed layup by Judah Mintz, who drove down the left side of the lane, Maliq Brown followed the shot, slamming the put back. Miami called timeout, trailing 64-62. Then, both teams traded a few baskets down low. Copeland responded to Kyshawn George’s layup with a finish down low.

But once again, Starling hit another corner 3, only for the crowd for go silent after George banked in a deep 3 with the shot clock expiring to tie the game at 69. Autry called timeout with 18.6 seconds remaining to hold for the final shot, which was a Copeland game-winning 3.

Miami’s initial success down low

Uncharacteristically, the 3-pointer wasn’t falling early on for Miami, which missed its first six 3-pointers of the afternoon — Pack made the first with just 6 minutes remaining in the first half. Instead, the Hurricanes went down low, finding plenty of success inside the paint against a decimated Orange front court. 16 of Miami’s first 18 points came in the paint.

On the opening play of the game, Matthew Cleveland dished a pass from the perimeter to the center of the paint as Michael Nwoko snuck behind Brown for an easy layup. Then, Wooga Poplar penetrated into the lane and drew Brown away from Nwoko, which allowed for an easy assist underneath. After a Cleveland steal and score on the next possession, Miami jumped out to a quick 6-0 start.

Following back-to-back easy layups by Cleveland, Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry called a timeout as his team trailed 18-16. Miami finished with 24 first-half points down low, making up for an abysmal first-half 3-point shooting, an area where it entered as the eighth-best team in the nation.

On Miami’s first field goal in the afternoon, it made several passes around the top of the key, where it could’ve taken a possible open 3. But the Canes elected for a higher-percentage fadeaway jumper by Cleveland in the paint.

Making the extra pass

After Copeland missed a corner 3 in the second half, Brown fought to tip the offensive rebound back out to Mintz at the key. Mintz finished the game with a career-high 13 assists — and could’ve driven to the lane with Miami out of position, but made the simple pass to Starling, who drilled the 3, drawing the largest reaction of the crowd at that point with the score tied at 39.

Much of the Orange’ scoring, especially in the first half, came off of assists. Early on in the game, Syracuse was taking low-percentage shots, but as it settled, it started to find a rhythm. To counter a 9-0 Miami run in the first half, Syracuse responded with two 3-pointers both of which were assisted.

Justin Taylor received the ball at the top of the key. Immediately, he dished it once more to Bell in the left corner, where he drilled a corner 3. Then, on the next 3, Bell was the one making the extra pass. Copeland drove into the lane, immediately double teamed. He kicked into the Bell in the right corner, where he had a good look, but opted for the additional pass to the wing, where Starling drilled a wide-open 3. Syracuse finished with 19 assists.

Test of the depth

Throughout the season, Autry has said his team’s depth is one of its strengths. Now without its startling center in Naheem McLeod, Syracuse has had to rely on less players against opponents. In Saturday’s game versus Miami, only six players played more than 15 minutes.

The backcourt duo of Mintz and Starling performed well in the first half. Mintz made a 3-pointer while making 2-of-3 free throws after drawing a foul on another attempt. Starling finished with 22 points, continuing his strong play after the Pittsburgh game. In a stretch in the second half, he had seven consecutive points, including a couple deep 2s and a 3.

Down the stretch, Syracuse relied on a lineup of Copeland, Mintz, Starling, Brown and Bell, which was Autry’s preferred lineup throughout the game.

Published on January 20, 2024 at 2:28 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini