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Syracuse’s nonconference play didn’t go how it had envisioned. Trying to make its first NCAA Tournament since 2021, SU began the year by squeaking past Le Moyne, Colgate and Youngstown State. While the Orange showed encouraging signs against Texas and Texas Tech in the Legends Classic, they lost both games and faced a major roadblock when J.J. Starling broke his left hand.

With its leading scorer out all of December, Syracuse won just two of its next seven games — against lowly UAlbany and Bucknell. During this stretch, the Orange reached a new low point in second-year head coach Adrian Autry’s tenure, suffering a blowout defeat to Maryland.

But for SU, a new season began against Wake Forest. The game marked the Orange’s first of 19 straight games against Atlantic Coast Conference foes, where they can potentially play themselves out of their early-season trouble. SU dug itself into a hole early on, trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half.

However, it chipped away at its deficit, taking its first lead five minutes into the second half. From there, the Orange and Demon Deacons remained within a few possessions of each other. Yet the Demon Deacons prevailed down the stretch, dropping the Orange below .500 heading into 2025.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (6-7, 0-2 ACC) 81-71 loss to Wake Forest (10-4, 2-1 ACC):

Wake Forest explodes from 3

A major part of Syracuse’s struggles has been its inability to shoot from 3. The Orange entered the contest against WF nailing just 29.1% of their triples. However, they weren’t the worst 3-point shooting team on the JMA Wireless Dome’s court.

The Demon Deacons entered the game shooting 26.5% from beyond the arc. According to KenPom, there are only seven squads with a worse 3-point percentage, none of which are Power Four teams.

Naturally, with how bad it is from the outside, Wake Forest attacked the Orange near the rim. On the game’s first possession, Tre’Von Spillers dribbled into the paint from the wing, leading to an uncontested dunk. Two minutes later, after an Eddie Lampkin Jr. second-chance basket, Spillers again penetrated the lane for another dunk.

Spillers’s early success spurred WF’s inside dominance. Its first six buckets came from inside, propelling a 13-2 lead after Ty-Laur Johnson converted an and-one. Though their lead dwindled throughout the first half, the Demon Deacons continuously attacked from inside, going 3-for-7 from 3.

The second half started similarly, as Wake Forest worked the ball inside, albeit unsuccessfully. As SU jumped out to a 47-41 lead, WF turned to the 3-point line. Hunter Sallis nailed an attempt. A possession later, Parker Friedrichsen drew nylon to tie the game.

Though their next field goal came over a minute later, it was again Sallis cashing in from beyond the arc. On the next possession, Juke Harris nailed a 3 to give the Demon Deacons a 53-51 lead. Two minutes later, Harris nailed another triple, extending WF’s lead to 58-52.

While Syracuse cut its deficit to 68-65 with three-and-a-half minutes remaining, Cameron Hildreth drilled a step-back triple to double the Demon Deacons’ lead. Wake Forest finished the game 9-for-19 from 3-point range, propelling its double-digit victory.

Kyle Cuffe Jr.’s 1st-half breakout

Syracuse, and its opponents, know its only ball handler in Starling’s absence is Jaquan Carlos. The Hofstra transfer has played 35 or more minutes in each game Starling has missed. But against Wake Forest, three fouls forced him to miss the final six minutes in the first half.

In foreign territory, the Orange turned to Kyle Cuffe Jr. to run point guard trailing 23-18. The junior entered the game four minutes into the first half and played the final 16 minutes. While he mostly played off the ball, frequently dishing it off in the halfcourt, he gave SU much-needed energy throughout the first half.

While it was nothing flashy, Cuffe frequently made hustle plays and attacked the rim. It resulted in him attempting nine first-half free throws, making eight of them. Additionally, a made 3-pointer with 1:29 remaining cut Syracuse’s lead down to 34-31 after it trailed by as many as 16.

In the second half, Cuffe still played significant minutes with Carlos returning to action, playing the entire half. However, he drastically struggled, notching just one point. He finished with a career-high 14 points but was 2-for-14 from the field and 1-for-8 from 3.

Turnovers

In addition to its porous 3-point shooting, turnovers have hampered SU. Despite defeating Bucknell on Saturday, the Orange turned the ball over a season-high 21 times for the second game in a row, allowing the Bison to stay in the game.

The struggles persisted against WF. On SU’s first possession, Chris Bell set the tone by giving the ball up. Over the next several minutes, Lampkin committed two of his four first-half turnovers. This enabled the Demon Deacons to jump out to their early 16-point lead.

While SU chipped away at its deficit before halftime, turnover problems still ensured. Before picking up his trio of fouls, Carlos had a pair of turnovers. With Carlos on the bench, the Orange committed five of their 13 first-half turnovers, including two from Cuffe and Lampkin — who received a healthy dose of touches in the high post.

The Orange began the second half much like they did the first, as Cuffe stepped out of bounds on their second possession. Despite the early slip, Syracuse did a better job maintaining possession throughout the remainder of the game. It went 13 minutes without committing another turnover, as Carlos remained on the court during the entire half.

However, SU’s turnovers were costly. After Carlos traveled, Spillers extended WF’s lead to 66-60 with just under six minutes remaining. On the ensuing possession, Petar Majstorovic had his pocket picked, leading Hildreth to extend the lead to eight. The Orange finished the game with 18 turnovers.

Minute distribution

Syracuse’s go-to starting lineup in Starling’s absence has been Carlos-Moore-Bell-Donnie Freeman-Lampkin. Though it’s the lineup Autry again turned to today, the starting five didn’t get much run together. They played the first four minutes, but the five never appeared on the court at the same time together the rest of the game.

Autry’s first substitutions took Bell, Moore and Freeman out of the game following the under-16 timeout. They each sat on the bench for nearly 10 minutes before returning, as Lucas Taylor, Jyáre Davis, and Cuffe all received significant minutes. Taylor, who began his career at WF, gave the reserve unit a jolt, draining Syracuse’s first 3 and another with just over two minutes left in the half.

Because of Cuffe and Taylor’s first-half success, they started the second over Moore and Bell. After the Orange took their first lead following a Freeman make, Taylor drove the lane and converted an and-one to give them a 43-39 lead just over four minutes into the half.

Autry’s first second-half substitution came six minutes into the period with Davis replacing Lampkin. Additionally, Majstorovic entered the game for Freeman. Moore or Bell had still yet to re-enter. Autry also utilized a Carlos-Cuffe-Taylor-Davis-Majstorovic lineup in the first half, which initially sparked Syracuse to chip into its deficit.

Though after the Demon Deacons’ 3-point explosion, Autry altered his lineup. Still, he didn’t turn to Bell or Moore, the Orange’s most skilled shooters from beyond the arc. Trailing 68-60 with 5:37 remaining, he turned to a Carlos-Cuffe-Taylor-Davis-Lampkin lineup. While the group cut SU’s deficit to three, they faltered down the stretch, with Moore and Bell not playing in the second half.

Published on December 31, 2024 at 4:43 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon