Syracuse gave up the last 12 points of the first half in letting the game get out of hand and allowed Louisville to simply pull away in the second half for an 85-61 win.
Here is what to take away from the game:
Another slow start, another loss
The Orange have had a penchant for getting out of the gates slowly all season, particularly in their losses. While the late first half run essentially buried them, SU also found themselves down nine points in less than five-and-a-half minutes of play. Other slow starts in losses this season:
Texas – down ten points in just over six minutes
Texas Tech – down five in just over six minutes
Notre Dame – down five in just over four minutes
Maryland – down eight in six-and-a-half minutes
Wake Forest – down 14 in under four minutes
Florida State – down six in six-and-a-half minutes
When benching is a good thing
Chris Bell had his third double-digit effort in four games off the bench. The forward reached 18 points for the second time in those four games, tying a season high with four 3’s in the game. Bell is 9-of-17 from behind the arc in his new role and is averaging 13 points per game as a reserve.
Shooting star, not making star
J.J. Starling had a season-low one field goal against Louisville in seven attempts in a game SU’s leading scorer likely wants to forget. In addition to a season-low four points, Starling also turned the ball over a season-high six times.
Backcourt struggles
Starling was not the only guard who had a hard time finding the basket. Jaquan Carlos had three buckets and seven points to lead the guards as the group shot 6-for-30 from the field while committing ten of SU’s 14 turnovers.
Falling from heights
Lucas Taylor had a rough night for Syracuse. Taylor missed all six of his shots, then also fell on his hip after colliding with Starling on a closeout late in the first half. After starting to the second half, Taylor went to the bench at the first media timeout and did not return to the game.
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