Syracuse (6-1) dropped its first game of the season last night in a 66-58 overtime loss to Wisconsin (5-3). The Orange was outrebounded by 26 and made only 55 percent of its foul shots. After back-to-back wins against ranked teams in the Bahamas earned it a No. 14 national ranking, the Orange was brought back down to earth against the unranked Badgers in the Carrier Dome.

Here’s what we learned from the game:

1. Tyler Lydon is human, after all

The freshman opened eyes across the country with his three-day outbreak in the Battle 4 Atlantis last week. He averaged almost 16 points and 10 rebounds per game, garnering ACC Rookie of the Week honors and giving NBA teams reason to call his high school coach.

On Wednesday, Lydon struggled in his 40 minutes at center. He only grabbed four rebounds and scored four points, shooting an unimpressive 2-for-6 from the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Head coach Jim Boeheim said he played Lydon the bulk of the loss at center since it’s what helped SU to a Battle 4 Atlantis title. And with Dajuan Coleman only seeing five minutes, the freshman was left in the middle of a 2-3 zone that was dominated on the glass by the Badgers.

 

2. It’s game-by-game with Kaleb Joseph

In the Orange two games prior to Wednesday, Kaleb Joseph played eight total minutes and scored no points. He received a verbal laceration from Boeheim and found himself in the doghouse.

After the loss to UW, though, Boeheim was complimentary of the point guard. Joseph played 14 minutes and scored six points, three of which drew the Orange within striking distance before the half.

Twice when Boeheim took out Tyler Roberson, he opted for Joseph instead of Coleman off the bench.

“I thought Kaleb gave us a really good first half and that’s good,” Boeheim said. “I thought he showed some real positives tonight.”

 

3. Nigel Hayes doesn’t know who Dajuan Coleman is

The Wisconsin forward said he thinks the only reason Coleman plays is because Boeheim wants to show respect for someone who’s been with the program. Hayes wasn’t at all surprised that Coleman only played five minutes, likening the former McDonald’s All-American to a benchwarmer who only has a game day role since he’s paid his dues.

Granted, Coleman was a benchwarmer on Wednesday, but clearly Hayes is unaware that Coleman had two years off before this season and is sitting the bench because he’s struggling to return to form that once had him as a five-star recruit.

Published on December 3, 2015 at 8:23 am