CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — While most Syracuse players are asleep in the team hotel before a road game, Tyus Battle finds the building’s workout facility. He’s often by himself, opting for solidarity into the early morning on game day. Lifting weights is Battle’s preferred alternative to sleep, something he admittedly doesn’t do much of.

“I gotta keep myself active a little bit so I always like to workout pretty late. I like to stay up pretty late,” Battle said. “The guys are usually sleeping or something, doing whatever they’re doing. I usually just like to go by myself just to clear my mind.”

After Syracuse’s first game away from the Carrier Dome, a loss to South Carolina on Nov. 26 in which Battle played only 13 minutes and recorded his only scoreless game of the season, SU head coach Jim Boeheim said the freshman seemed lost on the Barclays Center court. Since then, Battle has remained consistent for the Orange at shooting guard.

He’s raised his scoring average to 9.9 from 5.8 points per game since the loss to the Gamecocks, aided by performances of 13 or more in the last four games and a career-high 21 against Boston College on Saturday. And despite Syracuse’s (11-8, 3-3 Atlantic Coast) 85-68 loss to North Carolina on Monday, Battle continues to show why he’s one of SU’s most reliable options night in and night out.

“He’s got a huge upside with what he can do,” Boeheim said, “but he’s been very steady, very solid.”

Even if Battle’s late-night workouts don’t have a clear-cut correlation with steady on-court performance, they help him negate any distractions, which hindered him earlier in the season. A minor left foot injury didn’t force him to miss any games, but he sat out practice for a whole week and has since confessed that being nicked up derailed his ability to showcase his full arsenal. It restricted his desire to make sharp cuts to the rim, something he’s showcased of late, most recently at North Carolina.

Now with seven straight games as a starter under his belt and a stronghold on the shooting guard position, Battle feels back to normal. He’s able to lift early into the morning without worrying what the extra stress on his body might do to his foot. An injury-free Battle has helped lift Syracuse’s offense past its early-season woes.

“Early morning, late night, I think he gets his confidence from spending time in the gym,” said Gary Battle, Tyus’ father.

Battle tends to advertise his workout sessions on Instagram and Snapchat, recently posting photos of an empty weight room before games at Virginia Tech and UNC. He lifts at obscure hours on occasion before home games in the Carmelo K. Anthony Center, but it’s become a steady routine before away games to do so with Drake lyrics in his ears as the only accompanying sound.

The next game for Syracuse is a visit to No. 15 Notre Dame on Saturday. The Fighting Irish is the only team still undefeated in league play, giving SU another chance to grab a desperately needed resume booster.

You can count on Battle finding a gym in South Bend, Indiana, wherever Syracuse stays on Friday night. The Orange will count on its standout freshman once again to help lift it to a signature win.

Senior Staff Writer Paul Schwedelson contributed reporting to this article

Published on January 17, 2017 at 11:32 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman