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Lucas Taylor’s mindset throughout his basketball career has been based on his defensive play. Growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and playing four college seasons at three different schools, he’s lived by the same mantra: don’t let people score on you.

If you get scored on, you must score back. Then, you can make a stop on the next play. No matter what, an opponent’s breakout game shouldn’t be at your expense.

In one of the final games of his college career, Saturday night versus UVA, Taylor lived by his motto. As SU’s primary on-ball defender, he shut down the Cavaliers’ leading scorer Isaac McKneely. Mixed with an efficient 3-for-5 shooting day from beyond the arc, Taylor’s plus-14 plus/minus helped Syracuse (13-18, 7-13 Atlantic Coast) defeat Virginia (15-16, 8-12 Atlantic Coast) 84-70 in its regular-season finale.

“That’s what I really hang my hat on, being a two-way player,” Taylor said postgame.

While Taylor has struggled to find an offensive footing in his first season with the Orange, his defensive prowess has made him a mainstay in the starting lineup over the final 18 games of the season. Fellow guard Jaquan Carlos identified Taylor as SU’s best perimeter defender, meaning he’ll often guard the opponent’s best player.

That was the case again versus the Cavaliers. While UVA’s offense entered with an ACC-worst 64.8 points per game, McKneely provided a spark with a team-leading 14.2 points per game and a 41.7% clip from 3.

Taylor took the challenge against McKneely and instantly made an impact. The 6-foot-5 SU guard revealed postgame he was familiar with McKneely’s game due to playing in a camp years back at Davidson College. Because of his high-level shooting, Taylor said his goal was to be physical off screens and fill the gaps in passing lanes to disrupt McKneely. He did both often.

As Syracuse built an early lead, Taylor stuck within arm’s distance of McKneely. Just under four minutes into the game, UVA’s guard curled off-ball from the right corner through the paint and out the left side. He collected a pass from Elijah Saunders with seven seconds on the clock and attempted to get going against Taylor. McKneely dribbled right to left with a crossover, and as he tried a pick and roll with Saunders, Taylor filled the passing lane to force an errant pass.

While the Orange pulled away through the first half, McKneely attempted to heat up from deep, but Taylor’s continued contests limited him to 0-for-4 from 3 with three turnovers through the first 20 minutes.

“(Taylor) is gonna give his best every day,” Carlos said of Taylor. “He’s gonna give his effort, and he’s gonna guard the best player no matter what. So having somebody like that who, no matter who it is, he’s gonna guard them is a big lift for us.”

Despite having two years of experience at Wake Forest and one year at Georgia State, it wasn’t easy for Taylor to get his feet wet at first at SU. Taylor said through the early portion of the year, he was trying to move too fast, making poor decisions because he was overthinking.

Around Christmas time, SU head coach Adrian Autry told Taylor a message that’s stuck with him since: if you put in the work, your confidence should never waver. When Taylor heard that, he said everything clicked for him. Instead of trying to overuse his speed, he realized he needed to trust it, knowing many opponents of his size wouldn’t keep up.

The message also rang true for his offensive game. Taylor didn’t score in double digits in his first 12 games at SU. Then, starting Dec. 31, 2024, against Wake Forest, he rattled off four straight games with 10 or more points.

“I was like, ‘I’ve put in all this work. I’ve done all this for all these years. What am I overthinking it for?’” Taylor said.

The rest of his season has seen the classic ebbs and flows that come with being a contributing scorer. He notched a season-high 19 points against Cal on Feb. 1 but was shut out against VT a week ago. Versus the Cavaliers, Taylor used his scoring in the second half to seal the victory for the Orange.

After dropping five points in the first half with a fadeaway mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer, Taylor started the second half with a 3 to put SU up by 20 points. Just 45 seconds into the second frame, guard J.J. Starling passed left to right to Taylor directly in front of Syracuse’s bench. Taylor stepped into the shot and, with no hesitation, pulled it.

Minutes later, Starling collected his own rebound off a missed 3 and passed it to Taylor at the top of the key. With McKneely draped on him, Taylor crossed over right to left, spun back inside at the elbow and rattled it home on a contested jump shot. Earlier in the season, it was a shot Taylor likely wouldn’t have even considered. But 31 games in, his confidence was at an all-time high.

Taylor’s hot stretch continued 40 seconds later. The guard took a contested look from the right corner and hit nothing but nylon, racing down the court with a backward jog while signaling in celebration with three fingers on his right hand toward the Orange’s bench.

The right-wing 3-pointer was his third of the night, as he finished with 10 points in the second half and 15 overall to halt any late Virginia threats.

The offense was an added plus, but it’s no secret Taylor’s defense is largely why the Orange came out on top. Saturday’s spark from Taylor was a sign of a season progression. And as SU now reaches sudden death to keep its season alive, it can’t afford a game without Taylor playing at his best.

“He did a tremendous job defensively,” Autry said. “He made it hard for (McKneely), and that’s what we need (Taylor) to do.”

Published on March 9, 2025 at 1:16 am

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky