Syracuse survived a second-half scare against the Eagles to keep the home unbeaten streak alive and for their second ACC win. Here are my five takeaways from the game:
1. DEFENSE
Holding any opponent 22 points in a half of college basketball is an impressive feat, but against a conference foe… remarkable. Not to mention BC went on an 8-0 run heading into halftime to have at least something to be proud of through the first 20 minutes. Syracuse had a season-high 17 steals and turned 22 Boston College turnovers into 28 points on the other end.
BC’s Quinten Post, one of the top big men in the ACC, was a non-factor offensively being hounded all night long being denied in the post and swarmed on the perimeter. The versatile big man averaged over 18 points heading into the night and left the JMA Dome with zero points, seven turnovers, and five fouls. Kudos to Maliq Brown for embracing the assignment, taking it as a “personal challenge” postgame, and Coach Autry for a fantastic game plan.
Syracuse took the foot off the gas throughout the second half on “D” but stood tall when it mattered most.
2. MALIQ BROWN
Speaking of the sophomore forward, what a crazy stretch for Brown. The primary backup center standing at 6’8” has shown grit and toughness all season long but he’s flourished into a go-to scoring option. Brown has netted 88 points over his last five games (17.6 ppg) compared to averaging 6.7 in the previous ten matchups.
His eight rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and four steals make him an anomaly of a player for filling the stat sheet at his position. Even in his first start of the season battling all night long and playing a season-high 34 minutes, Brown has the poise to hit 7-8 from the free-throw line in crunch time. What a special player.
3. CHRIS BELL
What I loved most about Bell’s performance on Wednesday wasn’t his deadeye shooting from three that produced a game-high 20 points for Cuse it was his transparency with me after the game. When I asked him how it felt to see his first three go in to open the scoring Bell told me that it was such a relief and weight off his shoulders. Especially with shooting woes over the last few games it provided a boost of confidence during a difficult stretch mentality. He mentioned how he’s recognized that during his recent performances, he’s brought negative energy to the floor and is working to be more about the team, even when shots aren’t falling. For a young player to have that level of self-awareness is extremely commendable and very uncommon.
Bell looked like the confident sharpshooter that we saw score in bunches during the non-conference slate and was highly engaged on the defensive end of the floor as well. His +/- was 28 in 27 minutes against BC, 11 points higher than Maliq Brown who was second on the team. If Bell can continue to have this mindset, I believe he’s just scratching the surface of what he can provide for Cuse moving forward.
4. JUDAH MINTZ
When I looked at the jumbotron and saw Mintz not in the starting lineup, I was worried more than anything. He warmed up pregame, but was it an injury that he sustained during the extra days of practice? Thankfully, Mintz checked in with about eight minutes left in the first half and was on the court to open the second. Coach Autry cleared the air postgame saying it was a small infraction of team rules as the reason for starting on the bench, even going as far as to say he expects him back in his normal role against the Tar Heels on Saturday.
After not drawing many fouls early on, Mintz started to get whistles and knock them down from the line towards the end of regulation. 10 points in 30 minutes of action isn’t a normal night for one of the best players in the ACC, but he took it in stride when he was asked about not starting postgame. Mintz was quick and to the point, making it apparent that it was in the past, and he wanted to move on from it. I would expect a locked-in Judah Mintz with something to prove at UNC next time out.
5. POISED AND BATTLE TESTED
Coach Autry called a timeout after surrendering a 19-point lead with less than nine minutes left to play down 50-49. He said postgame that in the huddle, he was impressed with his group’s level of poise in that moment when it easily could have rattled them. SU’s played in close games all season long…from 20-point comebacks against Colgate to dogfights on the road at Georgetown.
With these previous experiences in mind, Syracuse came out of that stoppage with a three from Bell that got the crowd re-energized, and they never looked back. This group had the weekend off early in ACC play and with a rusty offense still got the job done in a must-win scenario. The result being a 10-point game after showing so much promise early might not give you as much momentum as before, but it’s still a conference dub versus a team that won five of their last six games. Now it’s about taking that “battle-tested” mantra and applying it to a No. 7 UNC team on the road before another date with the Pitt Panthers. Now it’s time to see what this team is made of.
More must-reads: