I can’t blame anyone who decided the spend the first day of False Spring doing anything but watching the Orange lose at home to Pittsburgh. In case, you missed it here are some takeaways:
Coaching and basketball IQ were once again big factors in a close loss. This Orange team knows how to lose games. Nate Kingz and William Kyle shot 8-13 while the other three starters shot 13-38. Kyle got one shot attempt in the 2nd half and overtime. Kingz who battled foul trouble but was key in the 2nd half, got zero shots in overtime.
On defense the Orange gave up open lanes to the basket time and time again. I’m not sure why Autry had Betsey on the floor for that final Pitt possession, but he shouldn’t have been in the position of trying to guard Nojus Indrusaitis in that spot. It’s frustrating that neither the team nor staff have been willing to correct the same issues all season long.
On a day when JJ Starling, Donnie Freeman and Tyler Betsey were ineffective, the Orange could have used Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White. The duo have been up and down but White’s defense and energy combined with Anthony’s ability to get to the basket would have been useful in a tight game.
It doesn’t seem worth it to play them on Tuesday if they aren’t 100%, but the Orange bench was outscored 16-9 by Indrusaitis himself yesterday. A roster that people thought might be 10 deep in November showed how thin it actually was when ACC play got started.
March Madness of a Different Kind
Tuesday could be a wild day. We heard the rumor that a new Athletic Director might be named by then and with the Orange playing SMU at 4:30 we could get official word of a coaching change. It’s not the Madness we all wanted in March, but it still looks like it will be a busy month for Syracuse Basketball….and one that’s pretty pivotal for the future of the progam.
