Men's Basketball

What we learned from Syracuse’s 82-72 victory over No. 6 Florida State

Codie Yan | Staff Photographer

Tyler Lydon had one of the highlight plays of the season for Syracuse, but he said it doesn't top his block in the Sweet 16 last year.

By Matt SchneidmanSenior Staff Writer

Despite letting an 18-point halftime lead shrink to as little as two late in the second half, Syracuse (13-9, 5-4 Atlantic Coast) held on to upset No. 6 Florida State (18-4, 6-3) in the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon. Four players scored in double figures, led by Andrew White’s game-high 24, and the Orange weathered a combined 43 second-half points from Florida State’s Dwayne Bacon, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Jonathan Isaac.

Here’s what we learned from Syracuse’s 82-72 win.

Jim Boeheim says let them storm

Inside the final minute of Syracuse’s win, fans piled near the edge of the student section before flooding onto the court when the final buzzer sounded. Florida State’s players left the court as just head coach Leonard Hamilton went to shake the hand of Boeheim.

Syracuse is Syracuse, a program with an expectation of national prominence year after year, one that is less than a year removed from a Final Four appearance. This season, though, has failed to come close to Boeheim’s preseason expectations regarding what his team was capable of.



And after the Orange’s first signature win of the season sent the students onto his court, the SU head coach expressed no objection to a move many disagree with.

“It’s a good thing. It’s fun to do that,” Boeheim said. “We gotta get people excited, why not let people get excited. It’s crazy. It’s better than when we get beat and they all go home at halftime, so yeah, I like that better.”

Andrew White’s defense has vastly improved, for now at least

Almost like he knew where the ball was going before it left the hands of a Florida State player, White perfectly read several passes in the heart of the zone on Saturday.

The fifth-year senior tied his season high with four steals, contributing to a Syracuse defense – sturdy for the most part – that allowed only 26 first-half points and forced 10 different FSU players to turn the ball over.

For a good chunk of this season, Boeheim has pinpointed his fifth-year seniors’ inability to pick up on the intricacies of the zone in their first year at SU. And even if it’s just one game, White wreaked havoc on the defensive end against one of the best teams in the country.

“Hopefully as far as my individual defense,” White said, “this is my turning point.”

MORE COVERAGE

Tyler Lydon has a favorite individual play and it’s not his tip slam

Tyus Battle’s missed corner 3-pointer turned into the play of the game thanks to Lydon soaring in from the weak side and flushing home a one-handed slam.

It was arguably the best individual highlight this season, maybe even beating out Tyler Roberson’s putback slam against Cornell, but it wasn’t Lydon’s most notable play in a Syracuse uniform by his estimation.

If you remember, he sealed the Orange’s Sweet 16 win last season with a leaping block on Josh Perkins with less than five seconds remaining with Syracuse leading by one before knocking down two free throws.

“Here, I would say the block last year against Gonzaga was probably the biggest,” Lydon said. “But yeah, it was a good play I guess.”





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