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Marcus Sasser crept toward the corner as Alan Griffin drove, anticipating a kickout to the corner as the Syracuse forward drove toward the left block. When Griffin sent a forced pass to the corner, Sasser intercepted the ball before it reached Joe Girard III, and Houston raced up in transition.

The ball cycled through SU’s zone, with the Cougars weaving in-and-out of the high post before reaching Quentin Grimes in front of his bench. He sunk the 3-pointer to give Houston its biggest lead so far, 39-27, four minutes into the second half. Syracuse called timeout.

After turning a once-hopeless season into a second-weekend run in the NCAA Tournament, Syracuse’s surge ended against the Cougars Saturday. Buddy Boeheim’s hot shooting streak turned cold. The 2-3 zone that stifled San Diego State for 40 minutes and West Virginia for 20 failed to establish any type of presence against Houston. And the Cougars (27-3, 14-3 American Athletic) used a pair of extended scoreless stretches to flip a once-tied game in a 16-point blowout, cruising past Syracuse 62-46 into the Elite Eight.

Here are three takeaways from the Orange’s (18-10, 9-7 Atlantic Coast) season-ending loss in the Sweet 16:

Syracuse (and Buddy’s) sluggish shooting

After scoring 32 and 35 first-half points in its first- and second-round wins, Syracuse managed just 20 against Houston — converting on just 6-of-24 field goal attempts in the opening frame. Its lone 3-pointer came on a shot from Quincy Guerrier in front of Houston’s bench, and Buddy, Girard and Griffin combined to go 0-for-7.

The Orange didn’t make a field goal in the final 7:07 of the first half, with its five points coming all on free throws, and they made just six field goals in that half overall. At the center of those struggles was Buddy, the spark-turned-focal-point of its offense in the postseason. He scored Syracuse’s first basket of the game, working Grimes inside and finishing an up-and-under, but he missed his next six shots to close the frame.

The Orange’s second made 3 came two minutes into the second half, when Girard responded to a Houston basket with a pull-up 3 from the right wing. Then, Buddy connected on his first 3. But the Orange shot 28% from the field and 21.7% from 3, and Buddy finished with 12 points on just 3-of-13 shooting — including just 1-for-9 from beyond the arc.

After Houston extended its lead to 16 with three minutes left, Buddy zipped up the court before jump-stopping at the top of the key. Throughout Syracuse’s run, he’d pulled up from that spot. From the March Madness logo two spots behind him. From the wings, the corners, on drives, on isolated finishes. He’d carried the Orange when other offensive options faltered, but when his desperation heave barely touched the front rim and fell into a pair of Houston hands, SU’s season all but extinguished with it.

Commanding the boards, especially on offense

Houston’s first possession of the game started with a missed 3-pointer from Sasser, but two rebounds from DeJon Jarreau turned a one-shot possession into a three-possession one. Guerrier failed to box out the Houston point guard on the first rebound, although the Orange escaped the possession without allowing any points.

The Cougars entered the game as the second-best offensive rebounding team in the country — with a 39.9% clip, per KenPom — trailing just North Carolina and its 40.9% rate. Against the Tar Heels earlier in the season, SU allowed 24 offensive rebounds and 24 second-chance points compared to Syracuse’s four. In the first half of the Sweet 16, Houston grabbed six offensive rebounds and ended the opening 20 minutes with 35 shot attempts, 11 more than the Orange did.

Syracuse escaped with allowing just three second-chance points, though. Grimes missed a contested 3 on one. Justin Gorham missed a dunk on another. Grimes missed a second 3-pointer with 3:38 left, allowing the Orange to race up in a fast break that ended with Kadary Richmond missing a pull-up jumper.

In the second half, Houston added five more offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Orange 40-31 overall. Four of those boards on the offensive end came in the final eight minutes, with Syracuse scraping for possessions to claw back. Brison Gresham grabbed one, then Grimes, then Fabian White Jr. and Gorham. The Cougars continued to work the game clock down.

The Jesse Edwards spark continues

In a season where his role has ebbed and flowed, with the latest end-of-season surge allowing him to emerge as a viable option off the bench, Jesse Edwards once again provided a spark for the Orange against Houston. After checking in at the 12:25 mark of the first half, Edwards finished that frame with a plus-four in his 10 minutes through three points, two rebounds and two blocks.

He blocked Jarreau near the rim, and a few possessions later, broke up a lob at the rim. He kept a Syracuse possession alive and allowed Griffin to get to the line, before pivoting and finishing at the rim to pull the Orange within 17-15 — keying a 10-0 SU run.

After checking into the game in the second half, Edwards positioned himself in a spot on the left block where Buddy could curl around en route to the left wing and made a 3-pointer. He added a pair of points and four rebounds in the final 20 minutes but also fouled on a Houston dunk.

And with Syracuse down seven, a high-low with White and Tramon Mark led to White finding a pocket of space behind Edwards. The SU center had forgotten to drop back, and White easily elevated for a dunk that put the Cougars up nine.

Published on March 28, 2021 at 12:33 am

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew