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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Quincy Guerrier probably didn’t know the player’s name. 

When the sophomore forward was asked about the game-winning play that ended Syracuse’s ACC Tournament run on Thursday, Guerrier described what happened on the play, calling him “the shooter” before looking down at the names on the stat sheet.

His name was Reece Beekman, and he was the unlikeliest of the five on the floor to have the ball in his hands with the game on the line. Syracuse knew who the shooters were — Sam Hauser and Trey Murphy III. They make 40% and 42% of their 3s, respectively. The Orange knew about Kihei Clark and collapsed on him in the paint on the game’s final play. But the scouting report was clear. Leave Beekman. 

The 25% 3-point shooter was all alone, and he sank the 3 that propelled Virginia (18-6, 13-4 Atlantic Coast) over Syracuse (16-8, 9-7), 72-69. Now, Syracuse is the one waiting. The Orange will learn of their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday. UVA also reported a positive COVID-19 test on Friday from someone who played, ending the Cavaliers ACC Tournament. It remains unclear how the case will impact SU.

One close game against Virginia in March shouldn’t overshadow the full season, which included plenty of mediocrity along with flashes of what could have been. But the Orange’s last 10 days shouldn’t be overlooked, either. Syracuse’s last four games have likely done enough to earn one of the 37 at-large spots in Indianapolis next week. Teams around the Orange on the bubble, including Xavier, Boise State and St. John’s, have all dropped games. Plenty of bubble teams are stumbling into the finish, while the Orange finished on a high note.

“We definitely played our best basketball probably the last four games,” Guerrier said. “Our defense got better … We were not moving our feet before, and now we’re moving our feet, communicating.”

Compare the Orange’s performances against Virginia. Syracuse’s blowout road defeat in late January offered a glimpse of its inconsistent defense. But for 40 minutes on Thursday, the Orange defended with more energy and held them to 11-of-35 (31.4%) from beyond the arc. 

Even on the game’s final play, the Orange’s defense did its job. The end result may be bad for Syracuse, but SU had to be willing to accept Virginia’s worst shooter taking the final shot of the game.

“It’s better to give the 3 at the end, especially for someone who didn’t make three shots in a row from the 3,” Guerrier said.

Once Clark got into the lane, Marek Dolezaj stepped up to defend him. Guerrier correctly rotated and latched onto Jay Huff, preventing the lob and easy basket underneath. 

When Clark dished across the court to Beekman, the open man, maybe Guerrier could’ve close out harder. Maybe Buddy Boeheim could’ve slid down. But both of those options leave Huff or Hauser open, and both are much better offensive players than Beekman. Syracuse played the percentages, like it did for the first 39 minutes when Beekman had zero points.

This time, it backfired. But it doesn’t mean the defense was bad.

The Orange are communicating better. They’re moving better. Earlier in the season, Syracuse lost track of the opponent’s top shooters and failed to help out Dolezaj in the middle. SU covered the defending national champions’ top shooters while protecting the paint Thursday. 

College basketball in March has a way of both reminding us why the sport is so beloved while helping us forget what had transpired in the three months prior.

Reece Beekman and UVA celebrate their win over Syracuse. The Orange will wait till Sunday for their NCAA Tournament fate. Courtesy of the ACC

The same Syracuse team that nearly lost to Bryant and Northeastern, needed overtime to beat Buffalo and couldn’t get a second-half stop against Pittsburgh just thumped North Carolina and Clemson, took No. 16 Virginia down to the final possession on Thursday and is now on the verge of the NCAA Tournament. It’s fair to ask why it took this long for the Orange to figure themselves out — or if they have at all. 

But compared to 10 days ago, the Orange appear a more formidable opponent with a red-hot Buddy on offense, improved depth and an improved but still beatable 2-3 zone. 

“Whether we get in the tournament or not, you never know,” Boeheim said. “But just looking at the profile and watching us play, we should be in.”

The game was won when….

Beekman hit his eighth 3 of the year at the buzzer. The Orange had just erased a six-point deficit in the game’s final two minutes. Buddy made a 2, and the Orange’s press forced a turnover that led to a dunk. Buddy made four consecutive free throws to tie the game at 69 with 29 seconds before Beekman made his shot. 

While the game was won in the final second, the game was lost for Syracuse during the Cavaliers 14-2 run on either end of halftime. That six-minute scoreless stretch enabled Virginia to turn a nine-point deficit into a three-point lead. 

Source: KenPom.com

Quote of the night: Quincy Guerrier

“At the end of the game, I cried because we gave everything,” Guerrier said. “I knew we gave everything. It’s not like at the end of the game we were like, oh, we should have — yeah. There was probably a couple things that we could do better like Virginia, but it happens. And it’s just — I’m happy for everyone. We should be proud of ourselves, the way we played today.”

Guerrier sat in the Zoom press conference with red eyes, still emotional after the last second loss. He scored 14 points and added 10 rebounds. 

Number to know: 69

The Orange scored 69 points against the Virginia pack-line defense, SU’s most-ever in 12 meetings with Tony Bennett’s Virginia. 

Virginia’s defense isn’t quite as good as it has been in previous seasons, but the Orange were held to 58 in the first meeting this season. 

The previous high against UVA was 68 points in the Elite Eight of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. SU stormed back from 16 down and put together a 25-4 run in that game to advance to the Final Four in one of the biggest wins in program history. 

Game ball: Buddy Boeheim

Buddy scored a career-high 31 points in the Orange’s defeat on Thursday. Less than two months after one of his worst games of the season at Virginia, Buddy made 10-of-17 from the field and 5-of-8 from 3 to push his full season 3-point shooting percentage to 37.3% — a clip that’s better than last season.

It’s quite the turnaround, considering that Buddy was south of 30% after that Virginia loss in January. The Cavaliers threw every look they could at Buddy. Beekman was the shorter, quicker option that Buddy shot over. Murphy was the 6-foot-9 option that Buddy drove and used to draw a few late fouls.

Because of the increased attention, Buddy also added three assists and created space for a few backdoor Robert Braswell cuts that led to dunks. The Orange’s offense was centered around Buddy for most of the game. In parts of the second half, when Virginia’s defense tightened up, Buddy kept pace with the Cavaliers. 

“I can’t even describe Buddy’s play,” Boeheim said. “They had a guy all over him the whole game. They were holding him and pushing him the whole game, and he was tremendous.”

Buddy Boeheim had a career-high 31 points against UVA. Courtesy of the ACC

Three final points

Injury report 

Kadary Richmond wasn’t sure he’d play against the Cavaliers. His right knee has been sore since he suffered an injury against Georgia Tech on Feb. 27. The freshman point guard has played through the pain in the last four games, but Boeheim said he’s not 100%. 

Dolezaj also hasn’t practiced since he fractured a finger in the win against North Carolina on March 1. It’s unclear whether Richmond and Dolezaj will be 100% if Syracuse has an NCAA Tournament game. The Orange will have at least a week off to rest and recover, which could help Richmond’s knee soreness dwindle. 

Bubble watch

Syracuse received some help on Thursday with Boise State’s loss to Nevada, North Carolina’s win against Virginia Tech and Duke’s COVID-19 cancellation against FSU. Boise State is still on the bubble following the loss, but the Orange could move ahead of them now as Nevada entered the day 95th in NET. UNC’s win added a second Quadrant I win for Syracuse as the Tar Heels moved to 33rd in NET. And Duke’s cancellation ended any chance of a bid steal for the Blue Devils.

Syracuse will be hoping that Mississippi loses to LSU on Friday, Georgetown beats Seton Hall, and that the American bubble teams of Wichita State, SMU and Memphis lose in the AAC quarterfinals. Boeheim thinks they’ve done enough, but the Orange’s position is far from safe, according to the experts.

Robert Braswell’s emergence off the bench

Braswell played a career-high 27 minutes on Thursday in the loss, with Boeheim trusting him on both ends of the floor over Alan Griffin in the game’s waning moments. Braswell came in for Griffin seven minutes into the game and made an immediate impact with two 3s and two dunks. He’s seen a significant uptick in minutes in the two postseason games — 48 in total — after averaging nine during the regular season.

Braswell’s lanky frame helps him get steals and deflections. He’s competed for rebounds and understands the defensive rotations better than most in the zone. The Orange have relied heavily on Guerrier and Griffin all season, but Braswell’s emergence as a reliable bench option could be pivotal if the Orange make the NCAA Tournament. 

“He’s good in our defense, and when he makes shots, he’s really good,” Boeheim said. “He’s probably one of our better forwards, if not — him and Quincy might be our best forwards when he’s making shots.”

Braswell put on 20 pounds in the offseason but has struggled with consistent shooting this season, Boeheim said. He saved two of his best games of the year for the postseason. He was able to play in front of his dad, Robert, who made the trip from South Carolina to Greensboro. 

Next up

The Orange will learn if they are in the NCAA Tournament during the Selection Show on Sunday at 6 p.m. on CBS. If Syracuse is in the First Four, it would play on Thursday night in either Bloomington or West Lafayette. If not, the Orange open play in the first round on Friday or Saturday.

Published on March 12, 2021 at 10:20 am

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @AnthonyDabbundo