Kyle HandCuffes made his return in the second half vs. Notre Dame.
The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team was able to edge the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday based on some key coaching adjustments from Adrian Autry. While JJ Starling was moved off-ball from the point guard position to free him up offensively, another adjustment was having Kyle Cuffe defend Notre Dame star Markus Burton.
Burton erupted for 22 points in the first half. But with Cuffe predominantly defending him in the second half Burton was limited to six points on 2-10 shooting.
“Kyle Cuffe always brings something,” Autry said. “He comes in, he fights. He battles.”
It was a tale of two halves defensively for Syracuse as the Orange gave up 16-32 shooting to the Irish in the first half. In the second half, the defense locked in and limited the Irish to 8-25 from the floor including 0-5 from three. Burton couldn’t get going downhill like his did in the first 20 minutes.
“We made a little tweak,” Autry said. “We started giving him some extra attention, putting some extra help on him. Kind of a spy.”
The Orange also limited Braeden Shrewsberry this time around. The Irish sharpshooter had previously averaged six made threes per game when he played Syracuse. That wasn’t the case on Saturday as he scored 14 points on just two made threes. Autry was effusive in praise for the way Jaquan Carlos stayed home on Shrewsberry in the second half. Shrewsberry was held to four points on 1-2 shooting in the last 20 minutes, missing his only three point attempt.
“I was just so proud of the way they defended. The way they were tough. The way they were resilient. Through everything that’s going on right now you couldn’t tell whatever our record was. These guys came out here and they played hard and they played tough and that’s how it has to be going forward,” Autry said.
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Cuffe’s contributions go beyond just his defense. With Syracuse trailing by 16 in the first half he soared in for an offensive rebound and tipped it to a teammate. The extra effort resulted in Cuffe shaking loose for an open three and he buried it. It was a play that swung momentum in Syracuse’s favor as Elijah Moore followed it up with his first made three since December 21. Moore was fouled on the play and made the free throw for a four point play. That mini run had the Orange down by just nine at the half after being down 17.
“Forget my three,” Cuffe said, directing attention to his teammate. “Elijah (hasn’t) hit a shot in so many games. A shooter like that being able to hit a shot like that, and one? It’s over now. … We got one of our shooters back.”
Late in the game, facing a pressure scenario, Cuffe was sent to the free throw line with seven seconds left with Syracuse clinging to a one point lead. He was reminded of a similar situation against Notre Dame last season in a tight game when he missed the front end of a one-and-one.
“Same situation before,” Cuffe recalled. “Yeah we won that game but we won it by two or three. I was like, “No I need to make sure I lock in and make these free throws and let’s get the win.’”
Cuffe calmly stepped to the line and knocked down two critical free throws. Syracuse led 72-69 at that point. Burton would attempt a three on the next play and miss, all but finalizing the result before Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry went apoplectic on the officiating crew. He was whistled for two technical fouls and ejected from the game.
Cuffe was trusted to shoot the technical free throws and iced the game by making all four. He finished the night 10-10 from the line. When asked about his night from the line in the post-game locker room, Cuffe — who is frequently quick to deflect attention from his own successes in favor of his teammates’ — was surprised of his effort from the line.
“Today I was 10-for-10? Shoot, I think I got another one for real,” Cuffe said with a smile. “Free throws win games for us. I’m proud of myself for that.”
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Note: Attendance for Saturday’s game was announced at 20,842. Adrian Autry has made it a point to thank the fans for coming out to support the team in his opening statement for two of the last three home games.
Cuffe offered a similar sentiment, saying, “I was excited the fans came out today for us. It’s rough I know us not winning a lot and stuff like that early on. I felt like the fans were there for us and we heard ‘em. They were cheering us on. That gives us a little extra boost. It just lets us play more free knowing we have people behind us.”