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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Judah Mintz put his hands on his knees, seemingly oblivious to any surrounding SU player attempting to console him.

Shouts of “airball” rang throughout Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena, a forced reminder of Mintz’s misfire from 3, which came just moments prior.

What followed was a breakdown from the Orange on both ends of the floor. They allowed UVA’s Reece Beekman to have his way around the basket for a couple of nifty lay-ins and fell victim to a sharpshooting Isaac McKneely, who finished with a game-high 22 points on six made 3-pointers.

And in response, Syracuse produced a slew of missed layups, traveling violations and errant turnovers. Virginia embarked on a 26-7 scoring run across eight minutes, beginning at the 15:09 mark in the second half, to put away hopes of an SU comeback.

“Once the game’s over with, you handle your immediate duties,” Autry said. “You got to, obviously, put it behind you.”

The 13-point differential at halftime was already tough to overcome but the deficit grew to insurmountable measures early in the second during Syracuse’s (5-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 84-62 loss to UVA (7-1, 1-0 ACC) in its first conference game of 2023-24. Unable to figure out Virginia’s suffocating pack line defense, the Orange committed 14 turnovers and had no answer to the Cavaliers’ season-best 57.1 percent shooting clip from range.

“We’re not going to harp on this game,” Syracuse guard J.J. Starling said. “We know if we do, it’s going to carry on to the next game and we’re going to make the same mistakes. We’re going to move on, learn from these mistakes and just be better.”

In a back-and-forth game prior to the first media timeout at the 15:53 point, Syracuse held Virginia at bay. Andrew Rohde missed two shots and Jake Groves bricked one from the left corner, as Syracuse led 5-0.

But a series of empty Orange possessions sparked a 7-0 Cavalier run over the following two minutes. And though 3-pointers from Starling and Justin Taylor put SU back on top 11-10, UVA dealt easily with its halfcourt sets. It closed-out effectively on shooters in both corners and protected its baseline, often forcing Syracuse to reset its offense.

“They do a really good job of having 10 eyes on the ball,” Autry said. “They always know where the ball is at. They know where it’s being driven. They have a very good understanding of where they need to be on the floor.”

For the Orange, points arrived by way of scrappy, unsustainable possessions and difficult mid-range jumpers. One one play, Maliq Brown fought through contact to convert a lefty layup. A few minutes prior, Benny Williams banked a shot off the glass after ducking under a Rhode contest.

Throughout the opening 10 minutes, Mintz went scoreless. Hounded constantly near the top of the key by Beekman, last year’s ACC Defensive Player of the Year, SU’s point guard couldn’t craft a clear path to the basket. The chance for Mintz to create in transition was also robbed by a stout Cavaliers front which successfully slowed down the tempo.

“They’re good. Those guys are really good defensive individuals, but what makes them really good is their backline, their help,” Autry said. “They close off lanes. You may be able to get past one person but that help is there.”

Without the presence of its top scorer, Syracuse’s ability to hang around began to falter with about 4:40 remaining in the first half. McKneely made his third triple of the game from the left wing. Then, Rhode jumped the passing lanes for a steal to beat Taylor in a foot race and opened up a 24-18 Virginia cushion.

Mintz’s first point arrived when he split a pair of free throws at the 4:03 mark. On SU’s next trip down, he sliced through the paint to hang and finish over a walled-up Groves. Mintz would register just one more field goal in the opening half as Syracuse trailed 37-24 heading into the break.

“They’re just a tough defensive team,” Starling said. “I don’t really think they took (Mintz) out of the game. Maybe he was in his own head. He just has to continue to be aggressive because we need him to do that.”

Virginia’s suddenly comfortable advantage was a product of Cavalier makes off of travels by McLeod and Starling. And amid the onslaught of UVA scoring, Leon Bond III threw down a thunderous two-handed flush before McKneely swished home his fourth triple.

“I thought for the most part in the first half we battled for a little while and then it kind of got away from us,” Autry said. “A couple defensive lapses, a couple missed shots, I thought that kind of opened the game up.”

The second half continued to expose a disheveled Syracuse side, one that was unable to garner defensive stops across the opening five minutes. A bright spot was found in aggressive Starling drives, which resulted in six quick points. He finished with a team-best 16, But the Orange failed to prevent UVA’s penetration, kicking and hitting open looks.

On pick-and-rolls the Orange were slow to hedge and get back to their man. They were one second too slow on contesting UVA’s shooters. Even in loose ball situations, SU players watched while its opposition put bodies on the floor.

The introduction of Virginia’s bench helped Syracuse tack on a few more points. It instituted a full-court press which translated into comfortable makes near the basket. But errors remained.

Uncharacteristic misses from Starling caused head coach Adrian Autry to put both hands on his head. Taylor mishandled an inbounds pass to lose it along the right sideline. He then airballed on a corner 3 attempt. Mintz didn’t score in the second half. And UVA cruised, basking in its most efficient performance all season.

“We weren’t able to create for one another, so that’s why we struggled,” Starling said.

Tuesday’s 80-57 dismantling of LSU seemed to turn a new page for Syracuse, one filled with lessons learned from the anguish of two blowout losses to then-No. 7 ranked Tennessee and No. 11 ranked Gonzaga.

Yet, it looked shell-shocked and frustrated in a hostile environment during its first ACC matchup against a disciplined Virginia side. For SU, the issue didn’t lie in losing the rebound or assist battles. It lay in an explicit helplessness that scattered itself throughout the game when SU was pitted against a superior side.

“Virginia was on today,” Starling said. “They beat us. They were the better team today. You know, we’re just going to learn from it.”

Published on December 2, 2023 at 2:23 pm

Contact Tyler: [email protected] | @theTylerSchiff