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Throughout Syracuse’s 6-7 start to the 2024-25 campaign, head coach Adrian Autry has continuously searched for new answers to what seems to be an unsolvable puzzle.

Against Wake Forest, his newest wrinkle saw reserves Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Lucas Taylor each play a season-high 36 minutes. Meanwhile, starter Chris Bell logged a season-low nine minutes, and Elijah Moore played just six minutes, respectively.

SU tacked on another loss despite the change, entering 2025 under .500. While Taylor (16) and Cuffe (14) notched season-highs in points, Syracuse (6-7, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) fell 81-71 to Wake Forest (10-4, 2-1 ACC). The reserves entered the game with the Orange trailing 16-2 four minutes into the contest and never checked out.

“They just gave us energy,” Autry said postgame of Cuffe and Taylor. “They defended, they got after it. You just can’t play this game on one side, right? You got to play both sides. And I just thought they gave us the best chance to win.”

Since J.J. Starling suffered a broken left hand, Autry’s go-to starting lineup has been Jaquan Carlos, Moore, Bell, Donnie Freeman and Eddie Lampkin Jr. That didn’t change Tuesday. However, the group only played four minutes together. In that time, they were outscored 16-2.

Out of the under-16 timeout, Cuffe and Taylor replaced Moore and Bell. Across December, Bell has gradually seen his minutes decrease. Before the bout against WF, he played 26, 23, 17 and 16 minutes across SU’s last four games. Additionally, Moore saw 22 minutes against Maryland and 16 versus Bucknell, his fewest since playing 23 in a breakout performance against Cornell.

Though Moore was coming off a scoreless game, he’s performed fairly well over the last month. Bell, on the other hand, has been in a prolonged funk. After shooting 42% from 3 last year, he’s down to 22% thus far into the 2024-25 season. Since scoring 18 points against UAlbany, he scored nine over his last three games before facing the Demon Deacons. Tuesday, he was held scoreless for the first time since Dec. 17, 2023.

“All he can do is keep his head down and keep fighting and battling,” Autry said of Bell.

Upon entering the game, Cuffe and Taylor brought an intensity Syracuse lacked as it instantly fell behind by 13 points. Taylor, who began his college career at Wake Forest before transferring to Georgia State and Syracuse, applied defensive pressure on Hunter Sallis — the Demon Deacons’ leading scorer. On his first possession guarding his former WF and AAU teammate, he forced a miss on a highly contested mid-range shot.

After Wake Forest notched the offensive rebound and bolstered its lead to 17-2 after Tre’Veon Spillers split his free throws, Cuffe attacked the paint. He drew a foul, going 1-for-2 from the charity stripe. It set the tone for a breakout half for the guard, who has seen his role drastically increase since Starling’s injury.

But before Cuffe got into a groove offensively, Taylor drew nylon from beyond the arc to cut SU’s deficit to 19-6 five-and-a-half minutes into the game. After beginning the season 1-for-13 from 3, Taylor has made two or more triples in Syracuse’s last three games and is a combined 8-for-15.

“The coaches have done a great job instilling confidence (in me),” Taylor told Cuse Sports Talk postgame.

SU’s next points came courtesy of Cuffe, who again attacked the rim before drawing a foul. This time, he converted on both of his free throws. The points from Taylor and Cuffe started a 31-17 run from the Orange to close the half, helping them cut their deficit to 36-34 at halftime after trailing by as many as 16.

Throughout the run, Cuffe’s aggressiveness was a staple. He tacked on five more points from the line and a layup, trimming Syracuse’s deficit to 26-23 with three minutes left in the half. Though WF responded with a bucket inside, Taylor drilled his second 3 on the ensuing possession, getting the Orange’s deficit down to two.

With 1:29 remaining until halftime, Cuffe drilled a 3. It cut Wake Forest’s lead to 34-31 and marked his 13th point, tying his career-high. Throughout the run, Moore played just two minutes while Bell played the half’s final four-and-a-half minutes.

While Cuffe had a phenomenal first half, the wheels fell off the wagon in the second half. Instead of attacking inside, he began settling for and missing outside looks. He scored just one point in the second half and finished the game 2-for-14 from the field and 1-for-8 from 3.

“My bread and butter was getting to the rim, getting fouled, shooting free throws,” Cuffe said. “That’s how I got my points today. So I got to get back to that.”

Even with Cuffe’s struggles, Autry didn’t try to get Bell or Moore — the Orange’s most talented shooters — back in the game. Though Cuffe struggled, Taylor’s strong play continued. He finished with 16 points while shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-7 from distance. Additionally, he continued marking Sallis defensively. However, the senior finished with a game-high 23 points as the Demon Deacons prevailed down the stretch.

Despite trying something new, Syracuse saw another loss added to its record. And while ACC play is just getting into full swing, the season seems to be getting late early for the Orange. Autry is trying new things, but nothing he’s done has led to winning — his ultimate goal.

“At the end of the day, there’s no messages being sent, right? I’m trying to win. And, I got the decisions to make, and those are decisions I make, and I live with them,” Autry said.

Published on December 31, 2024 at 7:14 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon