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Virginia Tech lost four-straight games heading into Wednesday night, but the losses had all been by single digits. The Orange took hold of the game early, though Virginia Tech showed why it has stayed close against opponents, going on a 10-0 run to get back within 12 in the second half. But it wouldn’t be enough, as SU continued to build on its lead off turnovers from Virginia Tech, leading to a double-digit loss against the Orange.

Syracuse was led by a 21-point performance from Joe Girard III while four other SU players finished with double-digit points. Maliq Brown recorded a double-double as well, the first of his career.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s 82-72 win over Virginia Tech:

Early trouble from Justyn Mutts

Like most teams expecting Syracuse to open with the zone, the Hokies had a plan coming into Wednesday night — get the ball to Justyn Mutts in the middle of the court and see how the Orange would react. Syracuse hasn’t been collapsing on players in the middle of the paint, leaving Jesse Edwards to deal with potential scorers while also focusing on plugging passing lanes back or defending the kick-out options instead.

Mutts caught the ball near the top of the paint on Virginia Tech’s first possession, quickly turning around and floating the ball in with his right hand. He mimicked that play a few more times in the possession, using his soft hands to rattle the ball into the basket, answering an Edwards alley-oop seven minutes into the game.

But Mutts was more dangerous when he shared the rock, either passing back to the top of the key or turning around and waiting for another Hokies’ player to emerge open. Usually, someone from VT got behind Edwards, and Syracuse didn’t rotate to help until later in the first half.

On back-to-back plays two minutes in, Mutts forced fast, low passes to Grant Basile, who stationed behind Edwards at the start of both possessions. No help came either time and Basile hit both easy shots directly under the basket.

Success from deep

Virginia Tech likes to shoot from beyond the arc, especially with a threat like Sean Pedulla, who’s shooting 35% from 3-point range. The Orange, not so much. Girard is averaging 3.1 3-pointers per game, but has attempted the second-least number of 3s in the ACC.

Still, Virginia Tech allowed Syracuse to fire from long-range early and Syracuse chucked up three-straight 3-pointers in the opening three minutes of the game. Only the first one actually fell through with Chris Bell nailing the shot from the left corner after the Orange threw it to Edwards inside.

SU didn’t score from deep again until Justin Taylor, who has emerged as a tertiary option for Syracuse’s offense, checked into the game. Similar to what Syracuse has done with Girard over recent years, Jim Boeheim had Taylor curl over off-ball screens into open spots at the wing.

Taylor nailed the deep shot on his first attempt, sprinting to the left wing and wasting no time to elevate after a quick pass from Girard at the start of a possession midway through the first. Three minutes later, following a 3-pointer from Pedulla, Taylor drilled another 3, this time off a dish from Judah Mintz at the opposite wing.

Girard and Symir Torrence added two more makes from deep in the opening half, helping Syracuse shoot 50% from beyond the arc in the first.

Edwards gets back in rhythm

Edwards entered Wednesday’s contest after his worst offensive performance of the season, scoring four points in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Sunday. Against UVA’s in-state rival though, Edwards re-emerged as an offensive threat, scoring more than 12 points for the first time since Syracuse’s win over Georgetown on Dec. 10.

Edwards took advantage of his size, scoring his first points of the night in transition off a high lob from Girard, which he reached up for and slammed in from the right side. Edwards worked on his own on the ensuing play, keeping the ball high and embracing contact from Mylyjael Poteat before laying it in.

He finished with nine points in the first half and four assists as well, including a smooth pass to Brown after he was doubled in the middle of the paint. Edwards continued to anchor Syracuse’s defense in the second, which greatly improved in the latter half.

Maliq Brown continues to shine

While Taylor added some key baskets from outside, Brown continued his play as another big for Syracuse. He finished with 10 points and eight rebounds against Virginia, again helping out on the glass and finding some offensive success with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

After getting an offensive rebound with 11 minutes left in the first, Edwards dished to Brown over two defenders for an easy finish. In the second half, Brown continued to pair perfectly with Edwards inside, collecting his own miss and laying the ball back in with 14 minutes left in the game.

Brown positioned himself on the right side of the basket seven minutes later, helping SU answer back from a 10-0 run by Virginia Tech. Edwards was the one that found him, firing a low pass to Brown on the right side, giving him enough space to score on a reverse layup. He also put back a missed alley-oop from Edwards.

Published on January 11, 2023 at 9:24 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu