Observations from Syracuse’s win over Wake Forest: Edwards’ explosion, 3-point defense

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Syracuse came into Saturday afternoon’s final regular season game about as cold as it has been all season. Riding a four-game losing streak in which it allowed at least 14 3-pointers in each game and lost by at least 17 points, the Orange faced Wake Forest, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

But the Orange, whom head coach Jim Boeheim said lost all of their pride after a 20-point loss to Georgia Tech, followed up Tuesday’s loss by entering halftime with something they haven’t enjoyed in over a week — a halftime, then late-second half lead. Syracuse, for the first time, arguably all season, was relentless. It embarked on runs of 7-0 and 8-0 on two separate occasions in the second half and staved off the Demon Deacons, all the while generating turnovers and fast-break shots.

For the first time since Feb. 14 against NC State, the Orange won a game. The four-game losing streak, poor defense and 3-pointers against it faded as Judah Mintz and Jesse Edwards energized the JMA Wireless Dome, treating them to a 72-63 win to close out the 2022-23 regular season.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (17-14, 10-10 ACC) 72-63 victory over Wake Forest (18-13, 10-10 ACC).

Wake goes as cold as the weather on 3

Wake Forest entered the game shooting 37.1% on 3-pointers and looked to be the last opponent Syracuse wanted to face. The Demon Deacons grab the 31st-most points from deep in the country, downing teams in high-scoring games eclipsing 80 points 11 times this season.

But out of the gate, they were inaccurate, missing their first seven attempts from beyond the arc — many of which were wide open — before Bobi Klintman gave Wake Forest the lead with its first made 3 five minutes and 17 seconds into the game.

It finished the first half with an uncharacteristic 6-of-20 shooting on 3-pointers, as it continued to chuck up shots from beyond the arc with the ample amount of space SU was granting its shooters. The worst shooting performance from beyond the arc since its Dec. 10 loss to LSU was underway.

Even after Tyree Appleby nailed a bank shot from a few steps in from half court as the shot clock was expiring, he still missed his next attempt and threw his hands visibly frustrated. But, shortly after, Wake started to heat up, making the next 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc to end the half, but couldn’t consistently connect, culminating in an airballed 3 from Daivien Williamson late in the second half.

Yet, despite the inconsistency, they continued to fire from beyond the arc, totalling 39 3-point shots, essentially forcing the Orange to fade up toward the outer arc. They didn’t hold strong inside the paint and chose to defend the inside rather than a barrage of missed shots from deep. In part, it led to Syracuse grabbing 43 rebounds and, for the first time since its win over Florida State, winning the battle on the glass.

Syracuse shows why it plays zone

The 10-0 run in the middle of the first half showed, despite all the criticism, chastising and questions about why Syracuse still plays the sometimes-outdated 2-3 zone showed why Boeheim hasn’t moved away from his bread and butter. Live by the zone to the tune of 16 turnovers and a 40% shooting performance from inside the arc on Saturday night; die by the zone and allow a record-setting number of 3-pointers. Against the Demon Deacons, it thrived, stopping inside shots and forcing Wake Forest away from passing inside to Andrew Carr and Matthew Marsh.

Instead of the wings having trouble staying with the ball as Wake Forest passed around the top of the key, they closed in on WF’s penetrating guards. Rather than Edwards being too far up, allowing lob passes underneath, or too far back, opening up midrange shots, he stayed where he should. When there was a pass inside from either Lucas Taylor or Appleby, he and a guard — usually Mintz — would close in and disrupt the connection. Cross-court passes essentially led to turnovers and fast break shots.

The Demon Deacons have enjoyed a 53.6% shooting percentage from inside the arc this season, the 46th-best rate in the country. But against the Orange’s zone, they fired just 40% from the field, a drastic falloff that ensured no comeback would be pieced together in Syracuse. For the first time in its last five games, the Orange looked comfortable in the 2-3 zone.

Chris Bell returns to the lineup

Syracuse’s freshman forward has had an up-and-down first season, hitting highs of 15 points and four rebounds against North Carolina and dropping to lows of getting benched through the last two games. He hasn’t seen action since Clemson, when he played 19 minutes, totalling just seven points and one rebound. He wasn’t ruled out by injury by Boeheim, though, who didn’t give a concrete answer on Bell’s status. Bell took the court for the opening tip off with the two games of uninterested looks while sitting in the end of the middle of the bench behind him. But that lasted just eight minutes.

He got a steal off of an inbound pass early in the game, then wedged a layup attempt from Carr between the rim, where it stayed and drew a jump ball. He even collected two defensive rebounds, an area Boeheim has chastised all season for Bell not showing willingness to do. But then, he missed two wide open 3-pointers, was called for a goal-tend on a layup from Appleby and was promptly benched until the beginning of the second half, where he hit a 3 and finished with three points and added three rebounds.

Jesse Edwards ends on a high note

Edwards’ development from a lanky, undersized center to the centerpiece of Syracuse has been remarkable. Edwards took the league by storm this season, leading the ACC in blocks and grabbing at least 10 rebounds 14 times. The Orange realized in quick fashion that as long as they could get Edwards open underneath — either off the pick-and-roll or away from a double-team — they would be able to keep pace with any team on their schedule.

But games against UNC and Duke showed that he could sometimes get overshadowed by larger, more physical teams. They would shut down the inside game and force Syracuse to fire from beyond the arc, a disastrous formula that led to a flurry of losses and blown leads. That wouldn’t happen on Saturday, especially after Wake Forest’s center Carr fouled out midway through the second half. Edwards was all over the place, working in the high post to grab five steals and underneath as a prolific layup-stopper on defense. He ended the game with 27 points and 20 rebounds, eight of which came on offense.

To close out the first half, Edwards stood underneath the basket as help for Mintz who’s heavily-guarded midrange shot bounced off the front of the rim. He rose up over Carr and easily dumped the ball back in for a layup. On the other end, Carr received a pass from Appleby at the free throw line. Edwards was standing in the middle of the zone, when Carr pulled up to try a midrange jumper. Carr’s 6-foot-10 frame tried to go up over Edwards, but couldn’t, and saw his shot stuffed by Syracuse’s big man.