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Buddy Boeheim collected a Marek Dolezaj pass after an offensive rebound, loaded up and fired. The junior knew he wasn’t going to miss two consecutive good looks from 3. 

As he trotted back on defense, he exhaled and grinned. Syracuse led 69-43 with less than 10 minutes to a play, as dominant as the Orange have been in 2021.

Led by a resurgent Joe Girard III, an uber-athletic Kadary Richmond and Buddy’s second-half shooting, SU (8-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast) avoided dropping to 1-4 in conference play for the third time since 2015. Buddy and Girard combined for 46 of Syracuse’s 83 points, while Richmond added a team-high eight assists and five steals in the 83-57 win on Tuesday. 

By preventing Miami’s (6-7, 2-6 ACC) frontcourt from controlling the glass like North Carolina and Pittsburgh both did against the Orange, Syracuse — who lost three of its last five before Tuesday night’s game — shelved the panic button. At least for now. 

“It could be huge,” Girard said of the win’s big-picture significance. “A team like Miami, they’ve been in a lot of close games. And some games they’ve won, some games they’ve lost, and obviously it’s a good momentum-booster going forward.”

Syracuse’s play early mirrored its early ACC results. The Hurricanes’ man-to-man defense forced the Orange into as many airballs — two — as points in the first five minutes, and Miami jumped out to a nine-point lead. 

But then Richmond checked in, and the Orange were ignited. In his first six minutes, he scored three points, dished four assists, snagged two steals and got multiple deflections — Syracuse outscored Miami 18-3 during that window. Two of his assists led to wide open 3s, and his presence allowed Girard to flourish in an off-ball scorer role. 

“I thought when we started out 11-2, when you’re coming off a 64-point giveaway in the second half against Pittsburgh, you know we had to change the direction of the game right away,” head coach Jim Boeheim said. “Kadary did that.” 

Also involved was reserve center Jesse Edwards (seven points, six rebounds in 22 minutes). SU entered the game outrebounded 144-99, and seven-footer Nysier Brooks looked to continue that trend. But Edwards — whom Boeheim said is still developing in practice — fought for boards on both ends and bothered Brooks just enough.

Quincy Guerrier had 18 points in Syracuse’s blowout win over Miami. Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports

The roadmap for Miami, one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in college basketball, to win in the Carrier Dome was to win big on the boards and rack up second-chance points. Led by Edwards, Syracuse prevented the Hurricanes from doing anything close to that. Syracuse won the rebounding battle 34-33. Miami didn’t hit its first 3 until three minutes into the second half after starting 0-for-15. It finished 4-of-25.

To bring Syracuse’s run to 18-3, Richmond crashed the zone to corral a defensive rebound in traffic, pushed the pace and found Girard for 3 on the right wing. Richmond entered Tuesday with 21 steals, second in the ACC despite playing far fewer minutes than most guards. 

Richmond was a disruptive and aggressive force against Miami. Time and time again, he got deep into the paint, drew Miami’s help and dished inside to a forward for a dunk. 

If Richmond was Syracuse’s engine, Girard steered the Orange. Minutes after Richmond’s first-half assist to Girard, the freshman blocked a jump shooter, leading to a Girard pull-up 3 from straightaway — the same shot he’s missed all year. 

But Girard made it Tuesday night. He made almost every other shot in the first half, for that matter, starting 5-for-6 and finishing 8-for-15 from the field. Several times, he baited overzealous Miami defenders with pump fakes, drawing fouls or creating more space. He was awarded more freedom by playing shooting guard, though he still ran a healthy number of pick and rolls. Late in the shot clock, he used a screen from Edwards to draw Miami’s center on the perimeter, stepped back and drilled a 3. 

Girard’s season-high 23-point performance came days after a 2-point dud in a blowout loss to Pittsburgh. After that loss, Boeheim said the sophomore guard “hasn’t played well overall.” It appeared Girard got the message. 

In the second half, Girard played a near-flawless stretch. It started when he drove and found Guerrier underneath for 2. On the next possession, he caught a pass from Buddy on the left wing, rose and sunk his fourth 3 of the night. He dished a bounce pass to Edwards, who drew a charge while guarding Earl Timberlake and finished a bank shot in the lane. Syracuse started the second half on a 23-9 run. 

The Orange played their best with a lineup of Richmond, Girard, Dolezaj, Guerrier and Edwards. The group thwarted the Hurricanes with the zone and still scored with two of its three leading scorers — Buddy and Alan Griffin — on the bench. SU held Miami’s leading scorer Isaiah Wong to one first-half point.

And Buddy, who similarly struggled against Pittsburgh, found his rhythm in the second half to the tune of 23 points. Boeheim revealed postgame that both Buddy and Girard tested positive for COVID-19 during the team’s recent pause. Girard said he’s still not feeling 100% healthy, but neither showed any signs of fatigue against Miami. 

To be its best, Syracuse needs all three of Girard, Richmond and Buddy to produce. The trio’s potential showed last Saturday, while its ceiling was on display Tuesday.

“(Buddy and Girard) were sick, and it takes awhile to get back from that,” Boeheim said. “That’s not something that’s easy. You don’t practice for 10 days, and then you’ve got to get your strength back. And that takes time. But I thought they both, this is the best they’ve both played, obviously, all year. I just thought they were aggressive, looking to get into the lane and make shots.” 

Since the 2014-15 season — the Orange’s second in the ACC — they’re 61-61 in conference play, a harbinger of mediocrity they need to supersede to avoid yet another bubble situation. Tuesday night’s win, and the guard-play that made it happen, points them in the right direction. 

Published on January 19, 2021 at 9:16 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman