Observations from Syracuse’s 73-44 loss against No. 16 Illinois: Mintz, Girard and rest of offense struggle

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Sitting at 3-3 after back-to-back losses against St. John’s and Bryant, Syracuse traveled to No. 16 Illinois as part of the annual Atlantic Coast Conference-Big Ten Challenge. The Fighting Illini entered the game with a 5-1 record and picked up a neutral site win over No. 21 UCLA. Tuesday night’s game was likely SU’s toughest test until a road game at Virginia in early January.

Syracuse looked competitive for a good part of the first half, but the Fighting Illini went on a 34-14 run in the second half en route to a 73-44 win. It was SU’s worst offensive performance since November 2019, when it recorded 34 points in a season-opener against Virginia. The Orange’s top scorers, Judah Mintz and Joe Girard III, went a combined 3-of-19 from the field.

Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins finished with a triple-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and Terrence Shannon Jr. finished with a game-high 17 points, led by five 3-pointers.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s blowout loss against Illinois:

Mintz, Girard struggle

Girard, Syracuse’s second-leading scorer and once the ACC’s points per game leader, struggled for the third-straight game. Girard shot 2-for-22 against St. John’s and Bryant, but still played 38 and 36 minutes, respectively. Illinois didn’t give the senior any space, switching on screens to prevent openings and keeping tight coverage on him at all times. He finished scoreless, recording just three attempts.

Late in the first half, Girard got the ball, clearly hunting for a shot as he dribbled left, but Epps kept a hand in his face. Girard was forced to pick up his dribble just inside the 3-point arc, and after looking at the basket for a possible contested shot, kicked out to Justin Taylor, who had no idea the shot clock was running out. The turnover was SU’s sixth of the first half.

Mintz, SU’s top scorer at 16.2 points per game, couldn’t find the rhythm he had against St. John’s, when he notched 20 points in the first 25 minutes, or even against Bryant, when he had seven in nine before getting ejected for slapping the Bulldogs’ Doug Edert.

Mintz missed several contested midrange shots, shying away from driving to the rim more than usual, and when he did, getting blocked or missing. He finished the first half 1-of-6 from the field with only three points, and also finished with four turnovers, with one travel in the first half leading to head coach Jim Boeheim pulling him for Symir Torrence.

The point guard drove early in the second half and created space, but couldn’t bank it in with the right hand. He pulled up for a mid-range shot on the next possession, but missed that, too. Later in the half, with Illinois on a 8-0 run, Mintz sped down court into traffic, only to toss up an ill-fated shot that grazed the bottom of the net.

Poor shooting from both sides early 

Illinois entered the game with the 5th-best effective field goal percentage, per KenPom, and the 7th-best 2-point percentage. But the Fighting Illini couldn’t find their shooting stroke early, making just one of their first nine 3-pointers. Syracuse baited Illinois into shooting from outside early, and were able to compete on the boards, led by Jesse Edwards, who finished with 17.

The Fighting Illini had plenty of open shots early, including one by Jayden Epps from the top of the arc, when the top of SU’s zone gave him several feet to launch the shot, which he did, missing. Hawkins missed an open 3 early in the first half, with Chris Bell rotating to the corner poorly, but the forward missed.

But SU couldn’t take advantage, making only one of its first seven before Bell drilled an open jumper off a Edwards’ offensive rebound. Bell hit a transition 3 moments later, and finished with eight points, but shot 33%.

The Orange shot only 33% in the first half and trailed by seven as a result. They went nearly six minutes without a point to finish the first half after a Mounir Hima dunk. Only Edwards, who finished with seven first-half points, consistently found the basket, including one play when he rolled off a screen and Torrence hit him for an easy alley-oop dunk. In the second half, any of that production practically disappeared, with SU recording 21 second-half points and going scoreless for the last 3:19 of the game.

Edwards lone bright spot 

Edwards continued his strong play after collecting a career-high 21 rebounds against Bryant, picking up four offensive and 13 defensive rebounds Tuesday. He was the only Syracuse player to finish with more than five rebounds. He had a putback layup in the first half and another offensive board led to an open Bell jumper.

The Orange looked for him on the offensive end, and the center carved out good position inside several times. Early in the first half, Edwards posted up and caught the ball, quickly kicking it to Benny Williams, who drilled the 3-pointer from the right wing. A few minutes into the second half, Edwards got position in front of his defender on the right block, and turned to his left shoulder, finishing the right-handed hook shot off the glass.

Edwards left his mark on the defensive end, too, finishing with three blocks and two steals. He blocked an Illinois putback attempt late in the first half, and swatted another one with his right on the Fighting Illini’s first possession of the second half. For parts of the second half, Illinois’ big players didn’t even look at the basket when catching the ball at the free throw line, not trying to attack Edwards.

A historically bad offensive performance

Tuesday’s loss, featuring only 44 SU points, felt similar to the 34-point performance in its 2019 season-opener.

The offense looked stale throughout with little motion, only screens, drives from Mintz and the occasional post-up inside to Edwards. The center’s offensive game still isn’t completely polished, and whatever moves he tried inside rarely created enough room for open shots. The Orange, missing Girard and Mintz’s production, had nobody else to turn to in key situations Tuesday night.

Freshman Justin Taylor, who notched a career-high 26 points in 25 minutes against Bryant, tried to get hot in the second half, drilling two 3s from the left side before going cold. He finished 2-for-7. Bell went in and out of the game, unable to find a rhythm, and Williams totaled six shots despite finishing tied for second on the team with eight points. Syracuse’s tough start to the season only get worse as a result, with its fourth loss hitting before the calendar struck December.