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Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry’s biting words held no remorse — a postgame reaction never seen before from the first-year head coach. An apology came first, issued to Syracuse University and its fans. Then, a series of sharp responses to questions, slamming his players for their lack of competitive fire in an embarrassing 99-70 defeat at Wake Forest.

The result marked SU’s fourth 20-plus point loss this season. The Demon Deacons shot 63.2% from 3 and 66% overall. Maybe Autry’s response was the only adequate one.

“We didn’t play any defense at all,” Autry said. “We didn’t pressure the ball, we didn’t fight to get in front, we didn’t do anything. They did what they wanted to do tonight. Unacceptable.”

Among the Orange’s many shortcomings, a disturbing lack of effort on the defensive end punctuated a forgettable evening. Missed assignments, uncontrolled closeouts, discipline-less stances and lazy reach-ins gifted uncontested looks to Wake Forest’s shooters and open lanes for its post players.

Here’s a breakdown of a few lackluster defensive possessions Saturday which best encapsulate Syracuse’s collapse in Winston-Salem:

1st Half, 12:00 — Hunter Sallis cans transition 3, generates 15-7 Wake Forest lead

Though Cameron Hildreth opts not to push pace after gathering a Chris Bell miss, Wake Forest somehow beats Syracuse in transition. An inability to match up defensively occurs right before Hildreth crosses midcourt. Bunched together along the far sideline, SU’s players are seemingly oblivious to an unpressured Hunter Sallis and Parker Friedrichsen.

Spotting open space to his left, Hildreth gives up to Sallis. Benny Williams — the Orange’s deepest defender — realizes Sallis is his assignment and sprints crosscourt to contest. Despite being the closest to Sallis, Bell refuses to leave Friedrichsen alone in the left corner. Instead, he sandwiches himself between the two — an odd choice which neither stops Sallis nor fully eliminates Friedrichsen from receiving a kick-out. Given a wealth of time to pull up for 3, pump-fake and drive for 2 or make the extra pass, Sallis cashes in behind the arc for a 15-7 Demon Deacons’ lead.

The make prompts Autry to call a timeout. On the court, Williams and Judah Mintz both raise their arms in frustration — the result of an unforced miscommunication which gave Sallis three of his eventual game-high 24 points.

1st Half, 3:36 — Kevin “Boopie” Miller flies by Syracuse defense, opens up 34-20 Demon Deacons cushion

After Mintz hit a mid-range jumper over Kevin “Boopie” Miller, the latter made a beeline for SU’s basket on the ensuing possession.

Wake Forest’s point guard probably noticed two things. First, an overcrowded weak-side wing promised him a straight-line drive if he beat Mintz down the floor. Given their positioning, no Syracuse defender could provide help in time. Second, Mintz was backpedaling lackadaisically, rendering him susceptible to being blown by.

Waiting until he reached the left-wing arc before putting on a burst of speed, Miller crossed from left to right to lose Mintz. J.J. Starling watched the penetration unfold and quickly came to Mintz’s aid down low, but he was slightly late. Deep in the paint, Miller put on the breaks and leapt for a hanging finish as Syracuse’s backcourt flew by to put the Demon Deacons up 34-20.

Similar scenarios, entailing lazy tracking back and confusion among basic defensive principles, seemed to develop countless times. On a prior play with 5:28 remaining in the first half, Hildreth lost Bell on an elementary in-and-out move at the top of the arc. The SU forward had attempted an errant reach-in, leaving the Orange defense vulnerable and out of sorts. Hildreth glided in for a comfortable lay-in — another example of an undisciplined defensive choice which hurt the visitors.

2nd Half, 14:50 — Cameron Hildreth sinks corner 3, Wake Forest advantage balloons to 58-38

Urging his side to retreat from the coach’s box, Autry signaled desperately for Syracuse to set up in a 2-3 zone front. The defensive reshuffle was likely meant to temporarily puzzle the Wake Forest offense — one that already racked up a 55-38 lead.

Stringing passes from sideline to sideline, Miller swung to Hildreth then Sallis. Each wing searched for post-entry deliveries to spark high-low action but none of the Demon Deacons’ frontcourt members were open. So, Miller chose to drive left — a maneuver which caught Starling off guard.

A lightning-quick first step propelled Miller to the left elbow before Quadir Copeland shifted forward to cut him off. Camped in the left corner lay Hildreth, a near-40% 3-point marksman. Copeland had committed the cardinal sin of help defense: never help off of the ball-side corner. Once Miller caught Copeland out of position, he kicked out a pass to Hildreth, who made no mistake in swishing a jumper over Copeland’s tardy outstretched hand.

Even if Miller burrowed deep enough to get off a layup, responsibility would fall to Maliq Brown for a contest at the rim. If Brown’s man was left open, it’d be Justin Taylor’s job to help over from the left corner. Only under rare circumstances should Copeland ever leave Hildreth’s side.

2nd Half, 8:22 — Parker Friedrichsen splashes second 3, Syracuse’s deficit grows to 79-52

It was shocking that Hildreth’s outlet feed didn’t come earlier. He skied to rebound Mintz’s chucked-up 3. Going the other way, Andrew Carr stood way ahead of an almost uninterested Syracuse defense. Williams didn’t sprint back to defend. Starling tailed Friedrichsen idly. The best Brown could do was point ahead at Carr.

Hildreth eventually tossed a heavy pass downcourt which Carr barely corralled. Toeing the baseline amid losing his balance, he found Friedrichsen unmarked in the corner. Worried that Williams wouldn’t get to Carr in time, Starling had abandoned his man and chased after the ball. Now, he had to scramble over and muster a weak contest.

As for the rest of SU’s players, Brown began to box out Efton Reid while Copeland stood at the top of the key. Mintz had stood at midcourt before Carr even made the catch. Rooted away from the action, he didn’t move a muscle as Friedrichsen canned his second 3 to give Wake Forest a 79-52 advantage.

This last possession didn’t showcase a failure to follow defensive rules, but rather a complete lack of effort. And the Demon Deacons’ lead only grew.

Published on February 5, 2024 at 10:38 pm

Contact Tyler: [email protected] | @theTylerSchiff