NewhouseSports SMC: Syracuse Pulls Away from Indiana, 69-52

Jim Boeheim came into his team’s showdown with the Indiana Hoosiers questioning its defense so far this year. He referred to Syracuse’s win at the Maui Invitational as “an offensive trip,” laced with about as much derision as a coach can summon for a winning team. But by the end of the Orange’s suffocating 69-52 victory, he was left with nothing but the faintest hint of a smile.

Just like last year’s NCAA Tournament game, the Hoosiers (6-2) couldn’t crack the 2-3 zone for large stretches of the night. It struggled to penetrate against the perimeter length of the Orange (8-0) and when it finally broke through, quick hands — Trevor Cooney and Tyler Ennis had four steals each, harassing Indiana’s bigs when they brought the ball down — and long arms made life difficult. Rakeem Christmas, DaJuan Coleman and Jerami Grant combined for seven blocks, controlling the paint all night in a welcome change from their poor rotations earlier in the year.

“Our centers played a lot better tonight,” Boeheim said. “Sometimes they got a little too physical, but our traps were good and they protected the rim. We’ve been looking for that all season.”

Despite an ugly first half, though, Indiana managed to hang in through a mix of execution and sheer will. The Hoosiers got the ball to the high post a bit more as the half wound down, collapsing the zone with an extra pass. It was rarely pretty — Syracuse’s defense tends to make just about everything seem precarious — but it was effective. IU kept chipping away, trip to the line after trip to the line, and after two big Yogi Ferrell threes late in the half, it had tied the game for the first time since the opening tip. What seemed to be in control for the Orange had turned into just a four-point halftime lead.

“We were getting the ball to the high post, attacking, getting to the foul line,” said Indiana freshman Noah Vonleh, who shot 13-16 from the foul line en route to a team-high 17 points. “That was our gameplan, and I think we stuck to it pretty well in the first half.”

Coming out of the locker room, though, the wheels started to come off. The Hoosiers were out of sorts on their first few possessions, and that was all Syracuse needed. The Orange went on a 25-5 run, sparked by a flagrant two foul and ejection on Cooney as he went in for a breakaway dunk. Syracuse turned lazy passes and dribbles into points the other way; Indiana committed 16 turnovers in all, 10 in the second half, leading to 19 Syracuse points.

“I just think we got away from what was working,” Vonleh said. “I don’t really know what happened, I just know we started settling for threes, and that’s not what our plan was.”

This is an Indiana team still struggling for an identity after the departure of four starters from 2012’s Sweet 16 run. Once guard Will Sheehey, the only reliable shotmaker, left early in the second with foul trouble, everything bogged down — after putting up 28 field goal attempts in the first half, the Hoosiers managed just 13 in the second.

The Orange defense can mask a lot of offensive deficiencies, but there was some improvement Tuesday night. CJ Fair was effective and efficient in his isolation sets on the wing, pouring in 15 points on 50% shooting, and Grant and Christmas showed some surprising smoothness in the post.

But the story continues to be the improvement of Ennis and Cooney in the backcourt. The latter’s shooting has come to be almost automatic — he shot 5-9 from deep and sits at over 47% for the year, remarkable for a guy buried on the depth chart for most of his career.

“I don’t know anybody who shot well from the bench,” Boeheim said. “He was behind a guy [Sixers guard Michael Carter-Williams] averaging 20 points in the NBA and another senior [Brandon Triche] who was really, really good. Now he has his time.”

And the Canadian freshman just keeps getting better, much more in control just eight games into his career. He controlled the tempo, pushing at the right times, and Indiana couldn’t keep him out of the lane — he used screens well, knowing when to get his own shot and when to find teammates for easy looks. The two guards are beginning to provide the sort of shot creating and making that can take Syracuse to the next level.

“Tyler and I got to spend some time working out together in the summer, and we clicked,” Cooney said. “We have a great relationship on and off the court, and he’s as good as any other freshman out there right now.”

The Orange have a matchup with 14th-ranked Villanova in a few weeks, and then the ACC gauntlet begins. The non-conference road has been a little bumpy, but finally, Boeheim is beginning to see a complete team take shape, and maybe that smile will grow a little wider.

For video of Coach Boeheim's postgame press conference, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaoipNBa85U

For interviews with players, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68bGriupQ5I