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Joe Girard III’s inconsistent performance against Boston College embodies why he’s become such a lightning rod for discussion in central New York. 

In the first half, Girard was sensational. He tallied 16 points by stroking two 3-pointers and beating his defender off the dribble. He took advantage of Quinnipiac transfer Rich Kelly in a mismatch and got to the rim.

“The first half, Quincy (Guerrier) was off his game,” head coach Jim Boeheim said postgame. “Kadary (Richmond) was off his game… Marek (Dolezaj) probably had one of the worst offensive halves he had all year, and Joe just carried us. He just put us on his shoulders and carried us in the first half.”

In the second half, though, Girard scored no points, dished one assist and hauled in two rebounds. He wasn’t necessarily terrible, just quiet. Boeheim praised his facilitating, and Girard said he was just taking what the defense gave him. 

Girard’s talent appears in tantalizing flashes. He broke out last year as a freshman, scoring more points per game than all but eight Syracuse first-years since 1992. He finished in the top-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio and steals per game yet shot a subpar 34.7% from the floor.

This year, he’s been even more up-and-down than he was as a freshman. He’s scored in single digits in 11 of Syracuse’s 18 games. Girard’s still started every game for Syracuse (12-6, 6-5 ACC), even as a growing group of fans lobby for more playing time for emerging star Richmond. Boeheim has repeatedly and unequivocally defended the sophomore, often pointing to how defenses stretch in reaction to his 3-point shooting ability. With Saturday’s uneven output — a microcosm of the Glens Falls product’s career so far — Girard fueled both arguments. 

All season, Girard’s been at his best when he gets downhill. He’s much less effective when he settles for jumpers, and attacking the rim early can set up his outside shot later. He’s committed to that approach in spurts, but never over a full 40 minutes. 

He was aggressive to start against BC. His first two 3-point attempts, both makes, came off the catch and within the offense. Otherwise, he drove to the basket. When he got cut off before the rim, he took pull-up midrange shots in rhythm, a shot that’s gone down more often than contested 3s this year. 

By the time Syracuse entered halftime with a 41-35 lead, Girard led all scorers with 16 points. He was seven-for-nine from the field, with two assists and two steals. An efficient, all-around clinic.

“(Girard) just kept us in the game,” Boeheim said. “We would’ve been behind eight or 10 points at halftime if it wasn’t for Joe.” 

Girard was the main reason why SU led heading into the second half, and Boeheim rode him the rest of the way. He played all 20 second-half minutes but had much less impact.

All four of Girard’s turnovers came in the second half. He dished one of his three assists after halftime — and it came 32 seconds into the frame. He went 0-for-4 from the field and didn’t get to the foul line.

“I think it’s just all about how the game’s flowing, what’s going on, what they’re giving you, what they’re not giving you,” Girard said of balancing playmaking and scoring duties. “Just take what they give you and try to make the most of the opportunity.” 

One play into the second half, Girard pushed the ball up the left sideline in transition, then snaked into the middle of the court. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buddy Boeheim open on the right side for a 3. The point guard tried a no-look pass, which flew two feet behind Buddy and out of bounds. The miscue prompted Boeheim to yell from the bench: “Joe, did you look at the guy?”

Girard shot 0-for-4 in the second half after shooting 7-for-9 in the first. Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports

Syracuse maintained control of the game on the scoreboard, staying between six and 10 points ahead of BC. But one stretch nearly halfway through the period, it seemed like SU was teetering. SU took ill-advised shots on three straight possessions — one from Guerrier, one from Richmond and one from Girard. Three trips in a row, Syracuse shot without passing the ball, leading to a 6-0 BC run. 

Still, Girard was unscathed from any postgame criticism from Boeheim, who lambasted Richmond for being out of position defensively and omitted Girard’s shot from the stagnant sequence that led him to call timeout.

“In the second half, (Girard) got the ball to people, and I thought (he) did a great job of getting the ball to people and moving the basketball,” Boeheim said.

Questionable shot selection has hung over Girard ever since he put on an orange uniform. He’s billed as an excellent outside marksman, but he’s a career 34% shooter — a below-average clip. Girard ranks in the 17th percentile in shot selection, according to Shot Quality, an analytics site that measures decision-making. 

“Today, obviously my shots were there in the first half and in the second, it wasn’t about me going to score,” Girard said. “Other guys had the opportunity, other opportunities were there for us to score inside. I think that’s what we took advantage of, and it’s just like that all year long.”

SU got the full Joe Girard Experience on Saturday. His electric first half put Syracuse in position to overcome his less-than-stellar second half. The careless turnovers and forced shots only burn when Girard’s not mixing in dribble-drives and crafty playmaking. 

Beating a depleted Boston College team with seven scholarship players won’t change many minds about the Orange’s long-term prospects. And the way Girard played, while essential at points, likely won’t convince many about him, either.

Published on February 13, 2021 at 6:52 pm

Contact Danny: [email protected] | @DannyEmerman