Syracuse faced its toughest test so far in its young season, and it won’t be reflected in the final score. No. 18 SU (3-0) brushed past Monmouth (1-2), 71-50, in the Carrier Dome on Friday night.

Here are three takeaways from game No. 3 this season.

The Andrew White show

If not for White, Syracuse would have never been within reach of the Hawks. The fifth-year senior entered the night as the team’s leading scorer and proved he deserved the billing against Monmouth. White poured in 18 points, all in the first half, to carry SU’s offense. He went 3-for-9 from 3.

As Monmouth crept closer to overtaking the lead toward the end of the first half, White took over. In a three-minute span, White took over by scoring 10 of Syracuse’s 12 points. That kept the visitors steadily behind, even though Monmouth could still funnel its offense by undercutting SU’s zone.

The Hawks outscored the Orange 18-4 in the first half on points in the paint, a big reason Syracuse leaned so heavily on White initially. Monmouth sealed off nearly every attempt to drive the paint, so the offense funneled through White on the perimeter.

Inside job

The center position is a bit of a revolving door for Syracuse at the moment. Dajuan Coleman has the most experience and talent of any of SU’s big men, but Jim Boeheim has been reluctant to give him significant minutes early in the season. Paschal Chukwu is still a question mark, all 7-foot-2 of him, with no steady aspect of his game.Tyler Lydon, Boeheim hinted, is probably the team’s best option at center. But he’s too valuable elsewhere.

So as predicted, all three took turns Friday night trying to anchor the defense. The struggles were evident early on with the big men, and the entire interior defense. Six-foot-11 forward Sam Ibiezugbe pestered the Orange underneath the basket in the first half. He sliced past Lydon on a couple occasions, bringing Boeheim to his feet, screaming at the court. Chukwu played only 10 minutes and never seemed comfortable wearing the sports goggles he had on originally.

Coleman played six minutes in the first half, leaving no steady presence for the bottom of SU’s zone until the second half. He played nine minutes in the game’s final 20, and helped neutralize the Hawks under the hoop. It will be interesting to see how Boeheim continues to parse out time for his centers, with one evidently more put together than the other.

Welcome to the big time

While White was the best option for the Orange early, freshman Taurean Thompson flashed the best game of his young career. The 6-foot-10 forward notched 12 points in only 13 minutes. He connected on several baseline jumpers and offered quality play in the post that Boeheim hasn’t shied lauding about.

With just under two minutes left in the game, Thompson tumbled underneath the basket adjacent to Syracuse’s bench. Head athletic trainer Brad Pike helped the freshman off the court, while Thompson was unable to put any pressure on his left foot.

Published on November 18, 2016 at 9:11 pm

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