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For most of this season, Judah Mintz hasn’t played like what he is: a true freshman point guard playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He’s been Syracuse’s second-leading scorer at 15 points per game, averaging over 32 minutes and has been, by far, the top of the team in assists. Mintz dropped 18 points in a tough environment at No. 10 Virginia, and hit a crucial midrange shot to tie Saturday’s game against Notre Dame, an eventual SU win.

But Monday, on the road at No. 17 Miami, Mintz played like what he is: a true freshman point guard playing in the ACC. He finished with five turnovers, only three points — shooting 1-of-7 from the field — and sat on the bench during a critical second-half stretch because of his poor play. Mintz looked uncomfortable, even rattled at times, uncharacteristically air balling a wide-open shot, coughing up turnovers and unable to create inside.

Yet, with Syracuse down two and in need of a bucket with 18 seconds left, the ball was in the young point guard’s hands. The Orange tried to curl Joe Girard III around a Jesse Edwards’ screen on the perimeter, but Miami covered it well, and Mintz created on his own. Head coach Jim Boeheim said Mintz “prematurely” tried to make a play. The freshman drove, dribbled behind the back, and was quickly trapped in the lane. Norchad Omier knocked the ball away, and Mintz’s night, fittingly, ended with a turnover. Omier hit two free throws on the other end, and Syracuse’s night, despite strong games from Girard and Edwards, ended with an 80-76 road loss.

“He’s made those plays all year for us,” Boeheim said. “And he didn’t tonight.”

Postgame, Boeheim didn’t want to talk much about Mintz, with one question about the point guard getting a, “I’ve said everything I’m going to say about Judah” response from the coach. Boeheim has repeatedly praised his point guard all season, and while Mintz had gone a combined 4-for-16 in his last two games, he still averaged 8.5 points, and Boeheim liked how well he carved up Notre Dame’s 2-3 zone.

The struggles Monday started early — Mintz wanted to feed inside to Edwards on one play, but the pass went just over the center’s outstretched fingers and out of bounds for a turnover. On three other plays in the early minutes of the first half, Mintz was shut down trying to drive and find looks inside as Miami defenders did a good job keeping the point guard in front of them, and swarming the lane with bodies.

The Hurricanes also used pressure — including some full-court press — to contain Mintz. SU, for the most part, did a good job of handling it, but on one play early in the second half, Mintz got double teamed near the sideline, just in front of the halfcourt line, and lost control of the ball. The point guard tried to pass out of the trap, but instead the ball bounced out of bounds.

Still, despite not getting Mintz’s typical production, Syracuse came back from an early deficit to lead by four at halftime. The Orange even opened up an 11-point lead five minutes into the second half, with Girard finding success on midrange looks and Edwards asserting himself inside. But the missing piece of SU’s three-pronged offensive attack remained notably absent.

Mintz had a good scoring opportunity a minute into the second half when Isaiah Wong telegraphed a pass at the top of the arc, and Mintz picked it off, drove, and put up a shot that, usually for him this season, has dropped. This time, it bounced off the backboard and the rim.

There was more awkward shooting — like when Mintz was way short on two first-half free throw attempts, or when he made a nice behind-the-back, pump fake move to get a wide-open shot, but air balled it short — and it was clear that the point guard, who has shot 43% from the field on the year, wasn’t his usual self.

Boeheim pulled Mintz at the 8:12 mark of the second half with Syracuse up 61-57. Symir Torrence, the reserve point guard who’d only recorded 12 minutes over the last two games, checked in for Mintz, trying to give the Orange a spark.

The Hurricanes, though, continued to work their way back into the game, and when Mintz returned four minutes later, the rookie mistakes continued to pile up. First, he drove baseline and with nowhere to go, got caught in the air and threw a lazy pass intended for Edwards. But with the ball just sitting in the air, Nijel Pack picked it off, and the turnover led to a breakaway layup and a 71-70 Miami lead with 3:43 remaining.

Two minutes later, Mintz committed arguably his worst turnover of the night, trying to hit Girard on an upcourt pass that Harlond Beverly easily jumped in front of. Beverly then drove on Mintz, drawing him into a foul, and hit the ensuing free throws to give the Hurricanes a five-point lead.

Girard hit a 3-pointer on the other end, but with time running out on Syracuse’s chance at its best win of the season, Mintz tried to redeem himself and make one of the game’s biggest plays. Instead, he coughed up another turnover, smothered by Miami’s defense and unable to help the Orange when they needed it most.

“Judah’s played really well all year,” Boeheim said. “He just had a bad game, and that’s what happens with freshmen.”

Published on January 16, 2023 at 11:19 pm

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_