Five Takeaways: Syracuse 72 Miami 69

What to make of the Orange's win over the Hurricanes.

Syracuse basketball picked up a thrilling 72-69 win over Miami in the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. Here are five takeaways from the win. 

1. Onions!

In the immortal words of Bill Raftery, Syracuse had "onions" in the final sequences of the win over Pitt. Quadir Copeland had made a total of five three-pointers on the season before he hit the game winner against Miami. Copeland is not currently a great three point shooter, but he does have the ability to hit that shot. This one had extra pressure and a defender in his face, yet he still drilled it. Copeland has always seemed like the type of player that will rise to the moment, and he proved that is the case with his shot on Saturday. On top of that, Judah Mintz's calm demeanor in the lane to find Copeland was significant. On the defensive possession prior, Syracuse played strong defense without fouling to keep the game tied. Clutch play after clutch play to get Syracuse the win. 

2. Backcourt

Judah Mintz did not have a vintage scoring game. Yet he still had one of, if not the, best games of his Syracuse career. Mintz scored 10 points on just 3-11 shooting, but had 13 assists, grabbed eight rebounds and only two turnovers. He was under control the whole game, ran the offense well, set up his teammates and controlled the game in multiple ways. This was a performance that showed Mintz's growth as a player. If he can continue to run the show like that, since we know he will have better scoring days, it takes him to a whole other level.

JJ Starling has really started to come into his own offensively. He scored a game high 22 points including a career high six made three pointers. Starling has become a three level scorer, and is confident making a big shot when Syracuse needs it. In his last two games, Starling is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 53% from three point range. He seems to be getting more and more comfortable with the team, the program and his role. That could be a significant development for the rest of the season. 

3. Maliq Brown

Once again, Maliq Brown was really good in the middle. His 11 rebounds were a team high as he helped the Orange win the rebounding battle. In addition, he was, once again, extremely efficient offensively going 5-6 from the field. He also dished out two assists and had two steals. Another strong all around performance from Brown. The one down side was that he was in foul trouble. Syracuse cannot afford him to be on the bench for extended periods with McLeod out. While one of the fouls was a clear offensive foul on Miami that was called a block, he still has to be better at staying out of foul trouble moving forward. 

4. Defense

The perimeter defense for Syracuse was good for most of the game. Miami had a stretch in the middle of the second half where it made five straight threes, but was just 3-18 the rest of the game. The Orange contested and pushed Miami a few steps beyond the arc at times as well. There were stretches where Miami got into the lane and there was little resistance at the rim, which does need to be corrected moving forward. All in all, they held a Miami team that was averaging 83 points per game to just 69. That was the Hurricanes third lowest total of the season.

5. Needed

Syracuse is in the midst of a stretch where it has the chance to rack up wins. Starting with the game at Pittsburgh and this game against Miami, the Orange has home games against Florida State, NC State followed by a road game at Boston College. That wraps up January and gives Syracuse a chance to get to 16-5 by month's end. None of those games will be easy by any means, but all are winnable and games you expect the Orange to get. That is why this win is so important. It keeps the momentum going to set up Syracuse for a potential winning streak. 

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