Syracuse’s defense clamps down on high-post in 2nd half, beats Florida State 76-67

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Caleb Mills couldn’t find any daylight underneath. Any pass into the teeth of the 2-3 zone was going to end poorly. Benny Williams grabbed a potential pass intended for Naheem McLeod out of the air and showed the defense was in sync. That defense that allowed more shots behind the backend of the formation clamped down when it needed to: in the midst of a 10-0 run that brought the Orange up by as many as eight points. 

The Seminoles’ regular starting five couldn’t compete with the skill of Jesse Edwards, but Baba Miller and McLeod were going to overpower Syracuse underneath the basket. They did so all game, until there were six minutes left in the game. Then, Syracuse stonewalled any comeback attempt. “We stayed back a little bit, so we probably weren’t as stretched out,” head coach Jim Boeheim said.

Syracuse came off a solid win against Boston College, a win that ended a three-game skid, a win that showed Edwards can dominate underneath against an Atlantic Coast Conference center. It shot well from around the court and rebounded well on both sides of the ball. That didn’t translate early against FSU, nor did it kick in until late in the second half. The poor defensive effort, highlighted by McLeod behind the formation, led Syracuse (15-10, 8-6 ACC) into a hole. Then it stormed back in the second half, ultimately beating the Seminoles (8-17, 6-8 ACC) 76-67.

“They hurt us with the lob pass and it took a while to adjust to that,” Boeheim said. “Our defense went better as the game went along.”

Boeheim threw his arms up in frustration and signaled for a timeout with 4:04 left in the first half. He’d seen enough after Matthew Cleveland cut into the free-throw line and was wide open at the top of the 2-3 zone. He was even more visibly upset when Edwards let McLeod sneak behind him. Boeheim had seen enough when Cleveland lobbed up a low pass to McLeod, who reached to his left and slammed down a dunk over Chris Bell on helpside defense.

It was a simple play call that FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton used throughout the first half; he was going to wait to see a Syracuse counter before changing up the approach. Pass inside to a guard, likely Cleveland, on the high post and let the top of SU’s zone converge on him. That opened up McLeod in front of the basket for the lob and dunk. McLeod ended up with 16 points, all from inside the paint.

Syracuse hopped out to a 7-0 start to begin the game, a lead it hasn’t enjoyed in the majority of its conference games. The Orange tend to fall behind early, but from Edwards’ first spinning layup, the Orange were off and running. Each possession worked inside through Edwards throughout the first half, as Syracuse attempted to take advantage of the clear size advantage it had over Florida State. Edwards dominated Boston College to the tune of a career-high 27 points.

The Seminoles responded quickly, opting for Miller and McLeod to counter the height disparity against Edwards. Soon, that quick spin and layup turned into an off-balance floater from inside the paint that softly fell short of the rim. Defensively, despite Edwards standing as the only Syracuse player averaging 10 rebounds per game, the Orange were outmatched on offense. After just eight minutes, the Seminoles had seven offensive rebounds, powered by McLeod’s four, that led to — at the time — seven second-chance points.

“Overall, we’ve probably rebounded a little bit better this year,” Boeheim said.

Soon, the 9-2 lead, and even a 15-8 lead, was diminished. With just under 10 minutes left in the first half, Darin Green Jr. misfired on a 3-pointer from the top of the key, the Seminoles’ 11th straight miss to start the evening. But Florida State got a loose rebound near the free-throw line and kicked it back out to Green, now standing a few feet to the right. He was wide open, and made the 3, cutting FSU’s deficit to 17-14.

Throughout the first 10 minutes of the first half, Syracuse was in command. It could counter a made layup with a 3 or Edwards layup of its own. Then, following one of those successful Edwards layups, the shooters went cold. Over the next six minutes, the Orange stood at 19 points as they watched their lead and 7-0 start disappear into what was a six-point deficit at halftime.

Even Florida State’s shooters were open, rarely hindered by even an outstretched hand from Syracuse’s guards. With just over seven minutes left in the first half, Chandler Jackson passed the ball across the court to Cleveland, who easily grabbed it and made a 3-pointer to give the Seminoles a 21-19 lead. But the left side of the 2-3 zone simply collapsed, opening up Cleveland for the shot in the first place..

“We were giving (McLeod) the lob and he had five dunks,” Boeheim said.

Syracuse came out in the second half in need of a run. The beginning of the second half throughout conference play has been less than stellar for the Orange. But Edwards, with a spinning rebound, started the second half the same way he started the game. Joe Girard III notched a layup of his own off of a steal and on the fast break against the Seminoles. Without the big men on the court, Syracuse tried to ratchet up the pace, hoping to retake the lead before McLeod and Miller re-entered the game.

Girard nailed a 3-pointer to take a one-point lead, but it quickly went away following a layup from Cleveland and a 3 from Green. For the rest of the second half, Syracuse battled from behind. Those open 3-pointers kept coming, and the Seminoles ended up going 9-for-35. But the Orange hung around, awaiting a quick run with nine minutes left in the second half in order to strike and retake the game.

“In the end, we closed the game, which I guess we haven’t been,” Boeheim said.

Girard started it off when he drove down the left side and pulled up for a fadeaway midrange jumper. Then, Jackson’s straight-on 3 hit the back rim, and the long rebound went to Girard around the 3-point line. He fired a pass up the court to Judah Mintz, who just a minute ago had notched his first basket of the evening. Mintz drove, with Bell as a tail, and sharply laid in a contested layup to give Syracuse a 62-56 lead. Miller and McLeod weren’t in. 

There were slow transitions back to defense, jogging from Williams and Edwards as they fell back after a turnover or poor shot. McLeod capitalized midway through the first half with a wide-open dunk, moving the Seminoles within one point of the Orange. Not only were they struggling to halt FSU possessions, the Orange struggled to get back and stop FSU fast breaks.

But in the second half again, the Orange were doing the fast breaks, catalyzing double-digit scoring runs and stopping passing underneath the basket. Neither Syracuse or Florida State are known for closing out games. But the Orange closed out the win and did something they’ve had difficulty with all season: winning a conference game on the road.

“There’s probably not too many times that we’ve won five league road games for the whole season. I don’t care who it is or where.”