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It took Jim Boeheim less than five minutes to move away from his starting lineup and put in Kadary Richmond for Joe Girard III and Robert Braswell for Quincy Guerrier. 

Guerrier had already missed three 3s, more than he typically attempts in an entire game. Syracuse hadn’t even tried to get the ball into the paint or attempt a 2. Its offense started exactly as it did in the first Syracuse-Clemson meeting on Feb. 6: by missing everything. 

Syracuse had trailed by at least nine points in the first halves of seven of its last nine games. Slow starts and lackluster defensive intensity at the beginning of games had become a trend. Even when the Orange were able to turn multiple of those deficits into eventual wins, the issue of slow starts put them out of marquee games against Duke, Clemson and Virginia, sometimes mere minutes after they started.

Playing against the 11th-most efficient defense per KenPom, a slow-paced team that smothered the Orange less than a month ago, Syracuse’s offense wasn’t firing early against Clemson. Alan Griffin had three first-half points. Guerrier had two. Syracuse made 25% of its first-half field goals. 

“Neither team could make anything, basically, is how the game started,” Boeheim said. “They missed everything, and we missed everything. It was just tough.”

Still, Syracuse walked into the halftime leading by three points. The Orange had allowed 22 points, its second-fewest in a first half this season.

Because of its first-half defense, Syracuse led for almost the entire opening frame. And once Griffin and the offense arrived in the second half with a 15-2 run, the Orange’s lead grew. They had done more than enough to notch their second consecutive home win against a team in the NCAA Tournament field. If the Orange were off the bubble after their loss on Saturday, the two Quadrant II wins might just move them back onto it. Despite the defensive unit’s struggles all season — especially in recent games — the interior defense and rebounding propelled Syracuse (15-8, 9-7 Atlantic Coast) past Clemson (15-6, 9-6), 64-54. 

“Our defense was the difference tonight,” Boeheim said. “We got on the 3-point shooters. But when it got inside, Marek (Dolezaj) was fabulous in there.”

Boeheim said that Dolezaj — who has often battled with bigger guys and struggled to defend and rebound — is now battling a small fracture on his non-shooting hand. Dolezaj played with his fingers taped, which Boeheim said impacted his offense, but not his defense. Dolezaj finished the game with eight rebounds, tied for the second-most that the senior has pulled in this season. He also managed a block.

Syracuse’s defense had regressed by almost every metric in the games entering Monday. The unit ranks 92nd for the year in Bart Torvik’s defensive efficiency. In the last 10 games, it’s been even worse, at 129th.

Yet when facing potential elimination from a chance at an at-large bid, Syracuse’s defense turned in one of its best performances of the season by holding Clemson to 54 points. Only nonconference opponents Rider and Niagara scored fewer points in a game against the Orange this year.

Syracuse’s slow starts have often begun at the defensive end, where Clemson, Notre Dame, Duke and Virginia torched the SU zone by making 3s and getting offensive rebounds off their misses. The Orange held Clemson to three second-chance points in the opening frame because their forwards offered much more defensive support, Boeheim said. Syracuse won the rebounding battle 24-22 in the first 20 minutes, and 38-37 for the game. 

Clemson made open shots and blew out the Orange by 17 points in the teams’ first meeting, but Wednesday night was different because of SU’s defense. Courtesy of Dennis Nett | Syracuse.com

Clemson kept firing and missing 3s. The Tigers started the game 1-of-10 from beyond the arc as the open shots they made in their home arena in a 17-point blowout win over SU last month were no longer falling. But in the Carrier Dome, heading into Wednesday, SU has held 12 of 13 teams to less than 30% from beyond the arc, the exception being Notre Dame. The Orange finished the season 13-1 in the Dome.

In the first half, Griffin grabbed eight rebounds. He finished with a double-double and four blocks. His 10 total rebounds were also tied for the second-most he pulled down this season for the Orange. Guerrier responded from an early benching by aiding Dolezaj on the low block. Girard took a charge near the foul line and forced a turnover on a trap in the corner.

Syracuse’s defense has struggled against big and physical teams for the better part of two seasons. As the Orange enter ACC tournament play on Wednesday, bigger teams with dominant interior presences could be in wait. While the Orange have shown plenty of offensive potential this season via Griffin, Guerrier and Buddy Boeheim, their defense may determine if their season ends next week, or not.

“Defense is a five-man group that everybody has to play defense,” Boeheim said. “And tonight we did.”

Published on March 3, 2021 at 10:22 pm

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @AnthonyDabbundo