Five Takeaways: St. John's 76 Syracuse 69

What to make of the Orange's loss to the Red Storm.

Syracuse basketball lost in overtime 76-69 to St. John's in the Empire Classic Championship Game Tuesday night. Here are five takeaways from the loss. 

1. Offense

Syracuse struggled for large stretches of this game offensively. The Orange only shot only 38.8% from the floor and was just 3-16 from beyond the arc. Some of the struggles were related to Joe Girard's poor outing. He shot 1-10 from the floor and scored just four points. That includes missing the front end of a one and one in overtime when Syracuse was down two. When Girard does not provide anything from a scoring standpoint, Syracuse's offense will likely struggle. Looking to Jesse Edwards a bit more in the post would also help. 

2. Benny Williams

Williams had a strong night with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He was aggressive on the boards, the most I can remember during his young career. In addition, he was much more energetic and active on defense. He also made multiple mid-range jumpers. All encouraging signs. If he can be that type of player for Syracuse the rest of the season, it makes the Orange a much better team overall. 

3. Defensive Rebounding

Syracuse was outrebounded 47-38, but the biggest issue was on the defensive glass. That led to a 15-8 second chance points advantage for St. John's. It was the second night in a row the Orange gave up a lot of second chance opportunities to its opponent. Syracuse must be better there moving forward. Part of that will be Chris Bell starting to rebound the basketball. In two games of the Empire Classic, he had one total rebound. He needs to be more active on the boards for Syracuse. 

4. Mounir Hima

This was kind of a breakout game for Mounir Hima. He was fantastic defensively and on the boards. Hima finished with eight rebounds and seven blocks in 19 minutes. Tremendous effort from him as he really provided a major spark for the Orange. The only criticism was his struggles finishing at the rim. He missed at three least point blank wide open opportunities there where he attempted a floater or a layup instead of dunking the ball. That will be part of his growth is learning how to finish so he can at least be a small threat offensively. That said, Syracuse has found its backup center. 

5. What We Learned

Overall, I view Syracuse's performances in New York City as positive ones. I learned a lot about the team. I think there is tremendous potential for this team on the defensive end. We saw it in the last six minutes of regulation and in overtime against Richmond. We saw it for the vast majority of the game against St. John's. St. John's came in shooting the ball very well from the outside and was just 7-23 against Syracuse. That was not missing wide open shots, that was Syracuse closing out on shooters. Benny Williams showed he can be aggressive on the boards. We know what Judah Mintz is offensively and he has shown the ability to carry a team. The Orange was competitive with a good team, and probably should have one, with Girard playing perhaps his worst game in a Syracuse uniform. Chris Bell can be a real offensive weapon and is getting better defensively. The key is for Syracuse to not make these two performances the exception but rather the rule. That means a complete effort against Bryant on Saturday and being competitive with a really good Illinois team on the road. With the way they played the last two nights, I am more encouraged now that can happen. 

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