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Right after the final horn, Jim Boeheim threw a looping fist pump. His team, led by his son, had just erased a 20-point deficit in the second half to beat Notre Dame to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Buddy Boeheim scored a career-high 29 points in Syracuse’s (13-6, 7-5 Atlantic Coast) 75-67 victory over Notre Dame (9-11, 6-8). Syracuse’s full-court press held ND scoreless for five minutes at one point, confusing an offense that put on a clinic in the first half.

Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s stunning comeback win:

The press. The run.

Syracuse hasn’t often had to press this year, but when it has, it’s been mostly ineffective. But that changed for the better on Saturday.

The Orange seemed dead in the water after a five-point swing that featured a missed Joe Girard III fast-break layup and a Notre Dame 3 on the other end that brought the lead back to 17. But after an SU timeout, the Orange broke out on a 9-0 run.

The five on the floor for Syracuse’s full-court press were Kadary Richmond, Buddy, Robert Braswell, Marek Dolezaj and Quincy Guerrier. Syracuse rode with those five down the stretch. With Buddy cooking offensively, SU could optimize its defense.

Notre Dame seemed flustered, turning the ball over multiple times in the backcourt. Even when it broke the press, it took them out of what got them the lead in the first place: inside-out ball movement and open 3s.

Notre Dame sped up and nearly choked. Buddy drove by Nikola Djogo to his left for an and-1 finish that brought the score to 60-53. Richmond tracked back on defense and intercepted a lazy pass with 10:12 to go, then deflected another pass. Buddy hit another 3.

Suddenly, the Notre Dame offense that put on a shooting clinic in the first half looked discombobulated. Richmond came up with another steal, led the break and found Guerrier for a transition 3.

The once-20-point ND lead was now a one-point deficit. Over eight minutes, the Orange outscored the Irish 25 to 4. Syracuse was back in the game.

Once the switch flipped, it never went back in Notre Dame’s favor. The Irish went scoreless for five minutes as Buddy went nuclear.

Buddy’s breakout

Saturday was by far Buddy’s best game of the season. He scored on all three levels and lifted a Syracuse team that committed to the press and let him decide offensive possessions.

Buddy was aggressive early. Six of his first seven shots came from inside the paint, as he repeatedly backed down defenders and shot over them. Some of the drives looked awkward, but they were effective — Buddy started four-for-seven for nine points.

The second half was an explosion. A 3 to bring the lead to four. Then one to take the lead. A 3 off a Dolezaj dribble handoff.

With 7:10 left, Buddy pulled up from way downtown on the right wing. The Irish had switched to a zone, leaving Buddy with a split second of space. The junior sunk it. “He cannot miss!” ACC Network’s Dave O’Brien exclaimed after his 3, which gave Syracuse its first lead of the game.

Buddy led the league last year in 3-pointers made, but he’s struggled from deep in 2020-21. His 31.4% from 3 was fourth-best on the team entering Saturday. But a performance like this felt overdue.

He didn’t stop pulling, and — for the most part — didn’t stop hitting. Later, with under two minutes to go, he rose up for a 3 that put SU ahead by seven points, its largest lead of the afternoon. It also gave him a career-high 27 points.

Interior implosion

The reason Syracuse had to mount an incredible comeback was because of its subpar defense in the first half.

In the blame game for Syracuse’s defensive woes, many fans have pointed to the top of the zone, where Buddy and Girard roam. But Boeheim has deflected criticism, either saying the zone is interconnected and everyone is responsible for being on a string or saying the lack of a traditional center is the real issue.

Each explanation can be at least partially true. But on Saturday, the absence of an interior presence was particularly glaring.

Notre Dame started 8-for-12 from the field, with four of its baskets coming on dunks. Juwan Durham, who entered the game averaging 10.2 points per game, scored 10 of the Irish’s first 17 points. He caught entry passes deep in the lane and finished dump-off passes and alley-oop lobs.

With the paint established, Notre Dame worked inside-out. The defense often collapsed or overplayed the high post entry, freeing shooters. ND had three shooters who came into the Carrier Dome shooting at least 38% from deep, and the Irish backed up their reputation as sharpshooters.

One play in the second half, Durham caught deep in the paint, then was swarmed by three defenders. He nearly traveled, but kicked out a pass to the top of the arc to Prentiss Hubb. Hubb swung an extra pass to Nate Laszewski in the corner for 3, and the ball movement didn’t relent. It was a shootaround for Notre Dame.

There was a brief moment when Syracuse tried to bolster its paint defense by inserting John Bol Ajak into the game. He manned the five position, and Syracuse’s defense improved briefly, but he’s not ready to play major minutes. There wasn’t an adjustment Syracuse could make to slow down the Irish. Until there was.

Published on February 20, 2021 at 3:58 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman