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BLACKSBURG, Va. — The last time Syracuse and Virginia Tech met, the Hokies were in the midst of an eventual seven-game losing streak, while the Orange had won seven of their last nine games. That was flipped on Saturday, when SU came into Cassell Coliseum reeling from a late collapse against North Carolina that cost it a chance at its best win of the year. VT, meanwhile, had ended its slide with a 78-75 upset over Duke on Monday.

Virginia Tech found an early rhythm from 3-point range, though granted it wasn’t hard to do so with Syracuse’s defense allowing open 3 after open 3. The Hokies hit 11 shots from deep in the first half, led by as many as 22 and cruised to an easy victory, giving SU its third loss in four games. Grant Basile led the way with 25 points, Hunter Cattoor added 18 and VT shot 53% from the field. It was the most points the Orange have allowed in a game this year.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (13-9, 6-5 Atlantic Coast) 85-70 loss against Virginia Tech (13-8, 3-7 ACC):

Lineup change doesn’t produce quicker start

Syracuse has been plagued by slow first-half starts in nearly every ACC game this season, and head coach Jim Boeheim opted to adjust his starting lineup for just the second time all season, inserting Maliq Brown in for Benny Williams. It was Brown’s first career start, and a byproduct of his improved play over recent weeks — the freshman had recorded double-digit points in four of his past six games entering Saturday, including an 11-point, 12-rebound performance in the last meeting against the Hokies.

Brown’s start, though, couldn’t spark the Orange to a hot start, and Virginia Tech opened up a double-digit lead midway through the first half, consistently generating wide-open 3s and layup looks inside. Quick ball movement was the key, and Syracuse chose to key in on Sean Pedulla, VT’s leading scorer at 16 points per game, by stepping up and biting on his pump fakes. Virginia Tech passed to the free-throw line, compacting the zone, and then kicked to guards sprinting toward the corner.

Boeheim quickly inserted Williams and Justin Taylor into the game for Brown and Chris Bell, unhappy with the forwards’ defense. After one play where Pedulla hit Basile for an and-one layup, Boeheim yelled at Brown, seemingly telling him he needed to drop back further within the zone to prevent easy looks inside. The Hokies continued building their lead throughout the first half and led by 19 at halftime. The Orange allowed the most points (52) they had in a single half all season.

Too easy from beyond the arc

Virginia Tech ranks eighth in the ACC — and 131st nationally — in 3-point percentage. Tonight, they shot 11-for-20 in the first half and several of the ones they missed were on wide-open attempts. Even after two Boeheim timeouts and several personnel changes, Virginia Tech had as many 3-pointers as Syracuse did field goals at the half. It was the most 3’s SU had allowed in an opening 20 minutes since Colgate rained in the same number in November.

Jesse Edwards collected three first-half fouls in only nine minutes, forcing Mounir Hima into extended action. SU’s wings and guards appeared to overcompensate for looks inside by crashing down low, leaving the wings, corners and top of the arc wide-open. It didn’t help that Cattoor, VT’s top 3-point shooter who was injured in the last meeting, was healthy and finished 6-of-10 from deep.

On one play, late in the first half, Joe Girard III and Taylor left Pedulla open on the perimeter to knock down a three. Fittingly, the half ended moments later with Basile knocking down a shot from range from the left wing. The Hokies cooled off in the second half, shooting only 18% on 3-pointers, but their 12 offensive rebounds and ability to break SU’s press helped them maintain a comfortable lead.

When Syracuse played Virginia Tech two weeks ago, it tried to limit the Hokies from beyond the arc, spreading out the zone to contest shooters but leaving the paint open. VT, in response, finished just 3-of-19 from deep and SU won by 10. But with that defensive approach seemingly altered on Saturday, the Orange could only watch as the 3’s fell through the net, one after another.

Mintz is lone bright spot

Last time out, Judah Mintz had 17 points against North Carolina but missed over 60% of his shots and was called for two fouls late in the loss. The freshman didn’t seem to let that linger into Saturday’s game, playing aggressively from the tip and drawing repeated foul calls on the Hokies (Mintz went 9-for-13 from the free-throw line).

The point guard also hit two of his four 3-point attempts, showing off his continually-expanding range. With Syracuse playing in a deficit for most of the game, Mintz tried to get the Orange back in it single handedly by driving one-on-one, using crossovers and pump fakes to create space. Mintz also dished out several assists, including three to Brown that resulted in easy finishes around the basket. But at several other points, the freshman appeared frustrated, slamming the ball against the court or looking to the SU bench with his palms up.

Another missed resume-builder

Syracuse hurt itself twice in three games by blowing late leads against Miami and UNC, losing two chances at quality wins over NCAA Tournament teams. The Orange have gone 1-6 against Quadrant I and II teams this season, the only win coming over VT earlier in the season.

SU sits well outside of the Tournament bubble, with the only chances of sneaking in either coming over the upcoming weeks with road wins over Clemson and Pitt, and home ones against Duke and Virginia, or by running the table and winning the ACC Tournament.

Despite beating the Hokies by 10 points 17 days ago, the Orange got romped on Saturday, rarely looking competitive. Virginia Tech showed a clear way to generate consistent open 3-pointers and shut off veterans Girard and Edwards. And what was once a promising season that saw seven wins in nine games, SU has now lost three of four, its postseason hopes quickly derailing and no path to an at-large NCAA Tournament bid in sight.

Published on January 28, 2023 at 9:32 pm

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_