This has to be a quick one...
I am trying to remember another game where the other team was in control the entire game, Syracuse was never able to get ahead through 40 minutes, even briefly, where they got a win anyway.
There have been a lot of great SU comebacks over the years...including the last home game against the Hokies, where they had a collapse down the stretch. But this one was different. The Hokies always had a answer this game, and never got a big lead. They were just always in control and seemingly always had the ability to answer an SU run to get the game close with a run of their own.
It would have been really easy for this team to lie down and take the loss. VT pretty well. They got some crazy breaks and bad shooters make crazy shots. They had a guy who never plays and appeared to be 1/4 opposum to have a career day.
To their credit, Allen is a good athlete (horrible defender) and the Bibbs kid has a lot of talent. Some of the other players are decent complimentary players. They played solid man defense, rarely gave our outside shooters good looks and seemed to contest every inside shot as well.
We had a lot of possessions where we just did our weave, probing for weaknesses, found none and were forced to put up a bad 3 point shot under pressure with the shot clock about to expire. It was pretty painful to watch and a big part of it was caused by some solid, excellent fundamentals by the Hokie players on defense.
I think a part of it was due to fatigue as well. Cooney is normally an energizer bunny out there but from the start of the game, he looked subdued and appeared to be running at least than 100%. Maybe he was sick or had an asthma attack or something. He just wasn't his normal self.
Anyway, this game was largely won on the effort of Silent G, who IMHO, is cementing himself as a player who should be on the ACC first team all conference. The offense we got was largely due to him, be it slashing into the paint and dishing for an easy hoop, taking the shot, making key outside shots, getting steals and baskets, etc. He was, IMHO, clearly the best player on the floor and the Hokies had no answer for him. My lasting memory from this game will be the reactions Seth Allen had every time Mike would burn him and score another basket. Watch the replay. His little spin, whirl of his arms and dropping of his head was very enjoyable to watch. Again and again.
I don't know how this team could get a win with TC so incredibly ineffective, Malachi struggling most of the game to even get a shot off, TL again very reluctant to take a shot (he did a nice job finishing with slams when he got the ball down low though), DC2 largely ineffective, and even Silent G struggling to get good shots. If Silent G was the player of the game, Tyler Roberson was a really close second. He did a lot of dirty work in the trenches, got a lot of rebounds to keep the game close, especially on the offensive end, had some big scores and made some big plays on defense too.
Malachi again had a huge 3 to give us a chance to win. That seems to happen just about every game.
I criticized Trevor for not hitting many shots in big situations. He did it last night with the big 3 to get SU off to a great start in OT. That doesn't absolve him from all the misses earlier but it was good to see him get a big shot to fall. I think he will be well served to focus on taking 3s from the perimeter the rest of the season, or breakaway layups. He is really hurting the team when he penetrates a bit and takes a short to mid range jumper. He just isn't good at it and it needs to stop.
Very happy for Mike. The 3 at the end of the game is one of those moments that will stay with SU fans for a long time and help to define his career at Syracuse. To do it in a game like this, where he faced pressure defense almost all game long, playing 40+ minutes in his third game in six games, was really impressive. The kid is a warrior, and brings the swag, as he promised he would.
I think this was a trap game and getting a game was huge. The team has done a great job staying together and getting better through some serious adversity. It is a tribute to the seniors, the rest of the players and the coaching staff.
Well done everyone.
