Observations from SU’s win vs. Lehigh: Edwards succeeds down low, Mintz shows out

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Jim Boeheim brushed off questions about the team’s youth at media day, referencing college basketball overall has gotten much younger.

The youth learning curve lasted about five minutes against Lehigh before Judah Mintz, combined with Jesse Edwards and Joe Girard III’s seasoned playing, led Syracuse a 90-72 stomping of Lehigh. 

Whether Monday night was seen as the first test or a hurdle Syracuse had every reason to get over, the Orange proved that when they start to hum, they can do some damage against inferior opponents. Girard led a 54.5% team shooting performance, SU found the foul line frequently and SU’s two-pronged defense held tall in the Orange’s (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) opening-night win over Lehigh (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League).

Here are some observations from the win:

Pick-and-roll Jesse

Boeheim said Edwards needs to play bigger down low, especially against smaller teams. While Lehigh possessed two forwards standing at 6-foot-11, they were both freshmen, and the seasoned Edwards should have had a field day against them. After a slow start and a few missed opportunities on rebounds, Edwards settled in to what Boeheim wanted him to do — break for the basket.

Boeheim said Edwards was able to average his 12 points per game last season because he’d pick-and-roll right to the basket. But against Lehigh, it took him just five minutes to find success driving to the basket. Coming off of screens set by either Girard or Mintz, Edwards routinely drove down the lane, his left hand extended as he looked for the pass down low. When the Orange found him and connected, it was near-automatic for Edwards.

Edwards alone helped the Orange storm back in the first half to retake the lead, finishing with a game-high 14 points in the first half and 18 points overall. On offense, that’s all he needed to do to make an impact and put his length and experience on show.

Man-to-man vs. 2-3 zone

This is the first season in decades that Boeheim admitted his personnel aligns with a more man-to-man defense. It’s much easier to teach new players the 2-3 zone, but he’d need to mix in some man-defense. Syracuse traded off possessions playing in each formation, but throughout the first half, they tended to occupy a man-to-man approach to Lehigh’s poor lineup of shooters. 

Early on, Boeheim instituted a man defense that the Mountain Hawks seemed to be prepared for. They got open on mid-range shots and occasional 3-pointers — when they connected — by screening Justin Taylor to get someone like Evan Taylor open. It’s what allowed the Mountain Hawks to maintain a lead for the first six minutes.

Lehigh caught a little bit of fire at the start of the second half, but it was already down by 20 points. Meanwhile in the paint, Edwards could eat on defense, like he did with 16:16 left in the second half. A guard signaled to him that Taylor was driving down the right side toward the basket, causing Edwards to slide down to contest the eventual shot. Taylor went straight up, and Edwards brought his right arm through the ball, chopping away the shot attempt.

Judah Mintz makes statement debut

Mintz came as advertised Monday night. He came as the No. 33-ranked prospect (ESPN) in the country out of Oak Hill Academy with aspirations of becoming Syracuse’s next well-known guard. The biggest applause at the JMA Wireless Dome for a newcomer came when Mintz’s name was announced in the starting lineup. Then he grabbed an outlet pass from Taylor just a few possessions into the game and missed the wide-open attempt.

He was quiet for a while after that, showing face only to pass down to Edwards in the paint or over to Chris Bell or Girard on the wings. But then the facilitator started to step in, and erupted for 16 points on 66% shooting from the field. Though he didn’t hit a 3-pointer, the freshman stepped back and dropped in a nothing-but-net floater against his defender late in the second half. On another play, he drove into triple coverage and drew a foul, connecting on the ensuing two free throws. 

Mintz showed fans how technical he could be with his decisions and how fluid he could be with the ball in his hands. At the halfway point in the second half, Mintz had a screen at the top of the key from Edwards, which he curled off of, finishing at the rim with a contested, off-balance two-handed jumper.

Getting to the foul line

Syracuse got to the line more often than it did in both exhibition games. In what proved to be a fast-paced affair, the pauses helped calm Girard, who was visibly out of breath on Symir Torrence’s first-half free throws. 

With a Girard drive and foul by Jalin Sinclair with 4:36 left in the first half, the Orange entered the double bonus. They’d already drawn 10 fouls, six of which came from Lehigh’s forwards. Girard got to the free-throw line five times, but a combined 77.4% effort led by Edwards, Mintz and Torrence allowed SU to slowly pull away in the first half. By the time the opening 20 minutes ended, the Orange had missed four free throws — two from Williams and two from Edwards. But the 18-point lead was virtually taken care of by the team’s 14 points off of free throws.

Once Girard did get involved, it was all but over. Girard could get open, like he did with 13:25 left in the first half, at the top of the key and create plays. Or he could drive to the basket down the left side of the lane and seek contact. He did that against Keith Higgins Jr., throwing his shoulder into the Mountain Hawk guard, before bouncing back and hitting a mid range, off-balance shot and drawing the foul in the process.

Joe Girard starts off strong

The addition of Judah Mintz allowed Girard to slide over to the shooting guard and focus on getting 3-pointers off of screens. Except for his contested 3-pointer that silenced Lehigh and ended the first half, Girard quietly found his way to 10 points. There were airballed 3s and a turnover, but Girard was on his way to a 19-point performance, one that led the Orange. 

Midway through the second half, Mintz brought the ball up, and Girard kept active down on the right wing, trying what he could to move around and create space on his defender. Mintz noticed the action, and when Girard opened up about a four-foot radius of space around him, Mintz ripped the ball over, stood back and admired Girard’s arcing 3 that gave the Orange a 19-point advantage.

The guard finished 4-for-6 from deep, adding another two points from the floor and five from the free throw line before checking out with four minutes left in the game.