Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Following back-to-back wins over Georgia Tech and Boston College, Syracuse’s first time winning consecutive games since November, it fell back under. 500 after getting blown out by Louisville on Tuesday. A win over the Cardinals would’ve got SU to .500 in conference play, making it the 11th team in the Atlantic Coast Conference to reach the benchmark.
However, the Orange, who are all but eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention for the fourth straight year, continued their disappointing season. As the program’s longest March Madness drought continues, it’s also at risk of missing the ACC tournament for the first time due to performance; the only exception is the 2014-15 campaign when SU implemented a self-imposed postseason ban due to an NCAA investigation.
With KenPom projecting Syracuse to win two more games the rest of the season, it badly needed to defeat Notre Dame as a home underdog. In December, SU lost its ACC opener 69-64 to the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana. This time, despite trailing by as many 17 points in the first half, the Orange rallied back in the final 25 minutes en route to a 77-69 win. J.J. Starling finished with a team-high 21 points.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (9-9, 3-4 ACC) 77-69 win over Notre Dame (8-10, 2-5 ACC):
3-pointers
Syracuse’s loss to Notre Dame in South Bend can’t be mentioned without its porous 3-point shooting. The Orange were held scoreless from beyond the arc for the first time in over a decade, missing nine tries.
SU’s 3-point struggles have continued throughout conference play, as its 29.4% clip entering Saturday was the second-worst in the conference and ranked No. 328 among 364 Division I teams. Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s 36.8% from deep ranked 51st in the nation and fourth in the ACC.
The Orange’s first four shots all came from distance. None found the back of the net. After poor ball movement on SU’s first possession, Taylor settled for a triple late in the shot clock. A few possessions later, after Starling missed an open 3, Syracuse aimlessly moved the ball around the perimeter before Taylor air-balled a 3 with the shot clock winding down.
While Starling got a wide-open look from the corner on SU’s ensuing possession, he missed again. Finally, Jyáre Davis ended the Orange’s cold spell when he was left wide open on the right wing. By the time Syracuse made a shot, it already trailed 11-3 four minutes in.
The opening four minutes told the story of the game. Syracuse fired away from 3, yet consistently couldn’t find the bottom of the net. While back-to-back made triples from Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Elijah Moore — who recorded his first points since dropping 16 against Maryland on Dec. 21 — cut the Orange’s deficit to 42-33 at halftime, they shot 5-for-17 from beyond the arc in the first half. SU’s 17 attempts from 3 were its most in a half this season.
Following a rampage of 3-point attempts in the first half, Syracuse drastically calmed down in the second. In the first 10 minutes of the half, it attempted just four, with only one finding nylon.
Over the final 10 minutes, SU only shot three 3s. However, Starling sank a pivotal one to bring the Orange within two points. SU finished 8-of-24, while Notre Dame was 5-of-14.
Burton’s 1st-half explosion
Markus Burton, like Starling, who missed seven games with a broken left hand, missed the first rendition of Syracuse versus Notre Dame in South Bend. The 2023-24 ACC Freshman of the Year returned to action on Jan. 4 and has scored at a torrid pace, averaging 20.3 this calendar year.
He made his presence felt instantly against SU. On the game’s first possession, he rattled home a tear-drop floater. Though he missed his next shot, Burton again connected from the mid-range at the 17:16 mark, giving the Fighting Irish a 9-0 lead. He then hit a fast-break layup three minutes later, extending ND’s lead to 14-3.
After dominating inside the arc, the sophomore guard tried his hand from 3 eight minutes into the contest, drawing nylon. Following a Syracuse turnover on the ensuing possession, he sniped a transition triple. At that point, Burton was out-scoring Syracuse 12-6.
After ND’s Matt Allocco added a triple of his own, Burton attacked inside before converting a layup. This forced Adrian Autry to call a timeout, trailing 25-8 nine minutes into the game. Out of the break, Burton connected on a layup and two shots from the mid-range, extending his point total to 20. He finished the first half with 22 points while shooting 10-for-16 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
However, Burton drastically struggled in the second, finishing the game with 28 points on 12-of-26 shooting.
Notre Dame’s cold streak
When Burton scored his 22nd point, Notre Dame led 38-21 with 4:55 remaining in the first half. It seemed as if the Fighting Irish were in the process of stepping on the Orange’s throat en route to an easy blowout victory.
Then, they couldn’t make a shot. Notre Dame missed its final three first-half 3s while also misfiring five shots inside the arc. Highlighted by Cuffe and Moore’s back-to-back 3-pointers, Syracuse began chipping into its deficit, only trailing by nine at halftime.
SU continued slicing into Notre Dame’s lead to begin the second half. Despite scoring just four points in the half’s first three minutes, courtesy of Tae Davis and Moore 2s, the Orange all of a sudden trailed by five. Less than a minute later, Starling nailed a 3 to get Syracuse within two points for the first time since Burton’s first basket gave ND a 2-0 lead.
After being held without a field goal for 9:53, Notre Dame’s Davis made a layup at the 16:02 mark to end the drought. In the time between Burton and Tae’s field goals, the Orange went on a 19-4 run.
Free throws
Free throws have plagued Syracuse all season, as its 69.6% clip from the charity stripe ranked No. 251 in the nation entering Saturday. Free throws again plagued the Orange against ND, especially in the second half. Jyáre missed three shots from the charity stripe to begin the second period.
While Cuffe made SU’s next two shots from the line, Jaquan Carlos missed two straight and Petar Majstorovic went 1-of-2 after a flagrant foul. With 6:25 left in the game and Syracuse trailing 60-55, Starling made a layup while getting fouled but missed the ensuing free throw. However, after getting fouled on a 3 after making a triple, he converted all three of his shots to tie the game 63-63 with minutes remaining.
The Orange finished the game 21-of-34 from the charity stripe, while Notre Dame was 16-of-18.
Prevailing down the stretch
Following Starling’s three made free throws, the Orange tied the game for the first time since it was 0-0. Allocco responded by getting fouled inside and making two free throws. However, Starling instantly drove to the rim and drained a nifty layup to re-tie the game.
Tae proceeded to turn the ball over on the ensuing possession, which led to Eddie Lampkin Jr. scoring while getting fouled to give Syracuse its first lead, 67-65, with four minutes remaining. Though he missed his free throw and ND had a shot from Burton and a second-chance opportunity from Braeden Shrewsberry, it couldn’t tie or take the lead.
This led to another Starling layup, giving the Orange a four-point lead with three minutes remaining. While SU was held scoreless over the next two minutes, which saw Lampkin miss two more free throws, Notre Dame was held off the board until the 1:05 mark when Allocco made a layup.
Starling couldn’t extend the lead after missing a jumper, but Tae again coughed the ball up, bringing Starling to the charity stripe. SU’s free throw struggles continued, as the guard split his attempts, and Burton responded by getting inside for 2 with 11 seconds remaining.
Cuffe was then fouled, making both of his free throws, before Burton missed his game-tying 3 attempt. Afterward, ND head coach Micah Shrewsberry was assessed a technical, and the Orange closed the game with Cuffe making four straight free throws after getting fouled.
The post Observations from SU’s win over ND: Late surge, Burton dominates appeared first on The Daily Orange.