Men's Basketball

Ennis plays well against Western Michigan’s various defensive looks

/ The Daily Orange

Tyler Ennis sheds a smile in Syracuse's 77-53 win over Western Michigan on Thursday. The freshman played well in his first-ever NCAA Tournament game, and will look to continue that against Dayton in the third round.

By Trevor Hass

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Steve Hawkins had a plan. Throw multiple defenders at Tyler Ennis and try to fluster him with a bunch of different looks.

But it didn’t matter what the Western Michigan coach did or whom he had guarding Ennis. The freshman point guard wasn’t to be denied in his first NCAA Tournament game. Ennis finished with 16 points and six assists in 36 minutes, slicing through the WMU (23-10, 14-4 Mid-American Conference) defense with ease in Syracuse’s (27-5, 14-4 Atlantic Coast) 77-53 win on Thursday.

Ennis showcased a smooth mid-range jumper. When the Bronco defense played off him, he nailed shots and looked comfortable pulling up off the dribble.

“He’s being more aggressive,” SU assistant coach Gerry McNamara said. “It’s good for our offense. Anytime he has open shots he needs to shoot them because he’s more than capable of making it.”

At times this year, Ennis has deferred and served as a pass-first point guard. That works well for Syracuse, but the Orange is even more lethal when he’s draining jump shots.



Ennis said he hasn’t changed his approach at all. He’s playing the same style he has all season. When a shot’s there, he’ll take it.

“I’m just getting open shots and I’m just taking them,” Ennis said. “I don’t think there’s more of a focus for me.”

In the first half, he dribbled toward the corner and found himself wide open. Instead of looking for a slashing Jerami Grant or C.J. Fair — which has worked perfectly fine this season — Ennis drilled a baseline jumper.

Later on, he curled off a Rakeem Christmas screen and nailed another mid-range jumper.

Ennis didn’t just help SU with his jump shot, though. In the first half, he penetrated and spun his body toward the basket. The ball swirled around the rim before eventually falling.

Every time he shot, Ennis looked smooth, as he was able to help the Orange blow by the Broncos.

“It’s great for us,” Grant said. “Just like Trevor, it opens up the court. When they’re hitting shots we definitely need that.”





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