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By dominating the paint and controlling the glass, Georgia Tech pulled away from Syracuse in the second half in McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. SU’s full-court press didn’t work, and Georgia Tech repeatedly turned SU mistakes into slam dunks.

The Orange (13-8, 7-7 Atlantic Coast) have now lost two straight in the most important stretch of the season. Georgia Tech’s (13-8, 9-6) Moses Wright recorded 31 points and 16 rebounds. Now with two regular season games remaining, Syracuse needs to win out and likely needs additional help to make the NCAA Tournament. 

Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s 84-77 loss:

Yet another slow start

Syracuse has struggled opening up games all February. In five of its last seven contests, SU fell behind at least 10 points in the first five minutes. 

The Orange’s early implosion on Saturday featured a Jim Boeheim technical foul, five ugly turnovers and Marek Dolezaj picking up two fouls. SU fell behind 17-5. 

Georgia Tech turned SU turnovers into points — it scored 13 of its first 27 points off Syracuse errors. It worked the ball around to create open 3s. It made a clear effort to work the ball inside either with dribble penetration or entries to the high post. 

Soon enough, Boeheim dipped into his bench. Kadary Richmond, Buddy Boeheim, Alan Griffin, Robert Braswell and John Bol Ajak were on the floor five minutes into the game. Griffin kept Syracuse afloat by hitting tough shots from the perimeter, scoring 12 of Syracuse’s first 14 points. 

Then, Jesse Edwards replaced Ajak. He hadn’t played meaningful minutes since Jan. 19 against Miami. But he was exactly what SU needed after Dolezaj picked up three fouls. 

Edwards blocked shots and challenged others. He helped SU finish off possessions. Entering halftime, several players and team staffers hugged him as they jogged into the visitor’s locker room. He was a +17 in nine minutes and helped SU get out of the early rut. 

SU had a five-point lead after the first half. Georgia Tech missed 12 of its last 14 shots of the half. SU went on a 23-5 run. 

Still, digging holes isn’t a sustainable way to win basketball games. It’s an alarming trend for Syracuse that, in the biggest stretch of its season, it often began games unprepared. 

Alan Griffin, cooking

Sometimes, it seems like Griffin makes all the tough shots and misses the easy ones. But against Georgia Tech, he was hitting everything. 

He started off Saturday by sinking two deep, contested pull-up 3s. He rose above Jose Alvarado, a smaller defender. He drove to his left and got to his favorite spot on the floor — the left elbow — and drilled a leaning pull-up. He hit a corner 3 off the catch before he even set his feet, nodding up and down as he jogged back on defense. 

Griffin could do no wrong. He started 7-for-9 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from 3. The Illinois transfer was a one-man offense, scoring 20 of the Orange’s first 27 points. 

Griffin slowed down a bit in the second half. It felt like he was less featured in the offense. Forty seconds into the half, Boeheim subbed him out. He banked in a runner but only shot three more times. 

Without Griffin in the first half, Syracuse would have been dead on arrival. Syracuse is at its best when he’s flying around defensively and converting offensively. If he can ride this game’s momentum, SU’s ceiling will rise.

The battle inside

Five minutes into the second half, Wright caught a bounce pass in the short corner, rose and slammed over Edwards and through Griffin. It was as big a poster as there is. 

The jam was also the epitome of GT’s dominance inside. Even with the 6-foot-11 Edwards playing big minutes, the Yellow Jackets pounded the ball inside and controlled the offensive glass. GT had 16 offensive rebounds in the game, outrebounding SU by five.

The rebounding disparity was likely better than it would’ve been had Dolezaj remained in the game. After losses several times this season, Boeheim has complained about the center rotation and not having a true big man. Edwards doesn’t solve that, but he’s a big option who can maintain verticality defensively and help on the glass. He could be worth a try going forward, even if it’s just in spurts.

Wright scored 33 points against Syracuse in the team’s last meeting, and he dominated again Saturday. Nine of his 16 rebounds were on the offensive glass. Fifty-four of GT’s 84 points came in the paint.  

When SU limited GT’s offensive rebounding in the first half, it closed the gap. When Wright got going again in the second half, the Yellow Jackets reclaimed control. And when Syracuse turned on the press, GT constantly got slam dunks on the other end. Dunk after dunk, the Yellow Jackets pulled away with an 8-2 run.

Published on February 27, 2021 at 2:17 pm

Contact Danny: [email protected] | @DannyEmerman