Observations from SU’s overtime win vs. Richmond: Girard’s 1st-half, zone defense in progress

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Following a blowout victory over Northeastern, Syracuse was tested after Richmond came back at the start of the second half, going 3-for-3 from deep. With 50 seconds left and the game tied at 63-63, Joe Girard III waved away the rest of Syracuse’s offense before missing a contested, mid-range jumper. The Spiders then turned the ball over, but Judah Mintz’s pass to Jesse Edwards inside didn’t land before the buzzer sounded. 

In overtime, Mintz opened the scoring for the Orange before Isaiah Bigelow hit a 3 from the right wing. Chris Bell scored on a mid-range pull-up after missing earlier in the period to give SU a 70-68 lead, and Mintz pump faked and scored off the glass to extend the advantage. Jason Nelson beat the overtime buzzer with a 3-pointer, but it was too late. 

Girard led the Orange with a career-high 31 points, and the next closest was Mintz with 16. Richmond went 7-for-12 from deep in the second half, and Bigelow led the Spiders with 17 points. There was a total of 16 lead changes in the game. 

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s 74-71 win over Richmond:

Girard’s 1st half

Joe Girard started Syracuse’s matchup against Northeastern 3-for-3 from deep, using, or opting not to utilize, the pick-and-roll to get open. On Monday, Girard took the ball down in transition four minutes into the game. 

While the rest of the offense sprinted into the lane, Girard slowed down near the top of the key and positioned himself at the left wing. He immediately fired, finding the bottom of the net. 

Girard attacked the basket his next time in transition and hit another pull-up jumper before going off the court momentarily. He returned with roughly 10 minutes left in the first, watching Symir Torrence take the ball up and find one of the Orange’s big men inside. The ball eventually made its way to Girard, who caught the ball and drilled the 3 in one motion with a hand in his face.

But as much as Girard has been a deep threat this season, he’s had the ability to find his spot and score from mid-range throughout his time at SU. After Richmond cut Syracuse’s lead to one following a turnover from Torrence, Girard got the ball on the right baseline. He worked his way to his spot at the right elbow, seamlessly elevating and leaning back enough to get the shot off.  

Girard again scored from mid-range with a baseline jumper, and then from deep for the third time from the top of the key, lowering his shoulder into his defender before stepping back and draining the 3. He finished with 21 points in the first half. 

Zone is a work in progress

Northeastern had plenty of looks against Syracuse but beat itself inside. Richmond did the same at first, but an 11-2 run brought it back in the game. The Spiders, like Colgate a few weeks ago, realized the way to get past Syracuse’s zone is to simply move the ball around the court until something freed up at the perimeter. 

The Spiders started the second half 3-for-3 from deep, making seven of their 12 3-point attempts in the half. First, Nelson stationed himself at the top of the key while Tyler Burton perused behind the back of Syracuse’s zone. The Orange thought Nelson was looking for Burton, giving him enough space to let go of the ball from deep. He eventually did, scoring to cut Syracuse’s halftime lead to two. 

Less than 30 seconds later, Nelson was left wide open in the right corner. After a lengthy possession, including a layup which Edwards blocked, Nelson got the ball from Neal Quinn. He drained the 3 before Bell quickly answered back from deep on the other end.

For the final deep shot of the stretch, the Spiders rotated the ball to the right side before a skip pass found Bigelow. Benny Williams was out of position, sprinting to try and get the closeout, but he couldn’t contest in time before Bigelow drained the 3. 

The Orange improved as Mintz made another timely steal to score in transition and the defense forced Roche to airball on a contested 3. But four minutes later, Roche was left wide open at the right wing, firing immediately and draining the shot. 

Five minutes after that, the Spiders moved the ball around the perimeter. Bell made sure to guard the right wing properly this time, but an extra Bigelow in the corner resulted in another 3. 

Transition O

After Girard scored his first 3-pointer of the game in transition, Mintz got the ball off a Richmond turnover on the right side of the court. Mintz scouted the court for a brief second, realizing Girard was a step ahead of his defender. Girard spun to his left, getting past his defender and finishing with a layup on the right side to give Syracuse a 14-2 lead. 

Later in the period, Mintz stalked Roche’s movement from his spot at the top of the zone. Roche tried to pass, but Mintz poked the ball away and into the backcourt. He picked the ball up in stride, throwing it down with no defender in sight.  

In the second half, Mintz stood at the top of the zone again, placing his left foot way higher than his right. The positioning allowed him to reach a lot further than normal, which he did with 11 minutes left, poking out another weak pass at the top of the key and converting on the steal-and-score. 

More Mintz magic

After nearly setting a new career-high against the Huskies, Mintz impressed again at Barclays Center. With a 10-2 lead, Mintz sent his defender the other direction with a behind-the-back crossover, immediately attacking the lane. He went into the middle of the paint unafraid, embracing contact directly under the basket while going up with both hands. 

Mintz first aimed left, but then he pulled his arms back and finished to his right for his second basket of the night. 

Before two emphatic dunks following steals, Mintz made a play on the defensive end in the air as well. Similar to what Mintz had done in transition, Nelson took off after taking the ball away from Girard. Mintz chased Nelson down from behind, taking off a split second after him. He smacked the ball on the top of the backboard, seconds before Mounir Hima also rejected a Richmond attempt.