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Joe Girard III’s resurgence continued when Syracuse’s hottest shooter went cold, when the team missed five of its first six shots against West Virginia, when the Orange needed someone — anyone — to emerge and ignite their offense. It continued when a Marek Dolezaj ball screen left Girard just enough room to curl around and swish a 3-pointer from the March Madness logo, when Girard laughed on his way back down the court and slapped his teammates’ hands.

Girard’s third 3-pointer against the Mountaineers gave Syracuse its largest lead of the game, 24-10, midway through the first half. He settled back into his spot on the left side of the 2-3 zone, forced a steal inside and pushed the ball up into transition, feeding Buddy Boeheim for a third shot that bounced off the rim.

This was the time when, for most of the regular season, SU head coach Jim Boeheim sent Kadary Richmond to the scorer’s table. Girard subbed out before the 10:30 mark in Syracuse’s first 15 games in 2021. But in SU’s four postseason games, Richmond hasn’t subbed in until after the nine-minute mark in three of them. He hasn’t topped 17 minutes of playing time in any, despite surpassing that number in nine of the previous 12.

During that span, Girard’s served as the spark for an offense that’s become one-dimensional at times — relying on the historic scoring pace of Buddy to lead a run to the Sweet 16, cemented by SU’s (18-9, 9-7 Atlantic Coast) 75-72 win over West Virginia (19-10, 11-6 Big 12) on Sunday night. All 12 of his points came in the first half, just like 10 of his 11 did two nights ago. He only attempted two shots after the intermission. But that bought enough time for Buddy to find a rhythm, and Girard rounded out his performance with six rebounds for the third consecutive game and seven assists for the second. Sunday marked the first and second time he’s produced those numbers in his Syracuse career, respectively.

“Joe was up and down a lot this year,” Boeheim said. “I mean, he was key in the first half tonight. He was really good.”

The majority of Girard’s regular season was defined by inconsistencies: His 11 turnovers in the first three games. His 3-for-21 clip on 3-pointers in three of four games to open the season, which made the 6-for-12 game against Rider in between look more like an outlier. His field goal percentage that sunk lower and lower as the pleas to give Richmond extended minutes grew louder and louder.

But Boeheim stuck with his sophomore point guard, the one who started the final 30 games as a freshman and flashed long-term potential with a knack for converting open, and difficult, 3-pointers. “He just doesn’t quite have his rhythm,” Boeheim said after SU defeated Niagara in its second game of the season.

Joe Girard finished with 12 points and seven assists in Syracuse’s win. Courtesy of Jack Dempsey | NCAA Photos

This season, Richmond’s filled a role off the bench with strong defense and a downhill offensive style, even if his 3-point shooting succeeded at a significantly lower rate than Girard’s. Even as Girard still surpassed 20 minutes per game on the court, he wasn’t the primary point guard at times. He settled into more of an off-ball responsibility but still didn’t top double-digit points in 12 games after Syracuse’s second pause.

That was largely because Girard contracted COVID-19 after the Buffalo game on Dec. 19. He didn’t practice for 10 days, lost his taste and smell and tried to keep in shape through pushups and situps while in isolation. It took time for Girard to recover his strength, Boeheim said on Jan. 19, and 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting against Miami that night reflected a step toward normalcy — the best he’d played all year.

“It’s definitely a struggle and something that everyone has to be prepared for,” Girard said after the win against the Hurricanes.

Over the next six weeks, he gradually carved out his role again. Nineteen points against Clemson. Sixteen against Boston College. The ACC Tournament arrived, and he scored 14 points on 4-for-12 shooting against NC State before struggling with just three the next day against Virginia. Girard strung shots together and facilitated plays in the opening 20 minutes of the Orange’s first NCAA Tournament game, reflecting that return even more. Long misses from SDSU 3-pointers allowed him to contribute while rebounding, too. 

Against West Virginia, Girard connected on his first 3-pointer after Alan Griffin drove and initiated a catch-and-shoot. A few possessions later, he backed down Miles McBride and dished a pass to Quincy Guerrier for a 3. He either scored or assisted on five of six SU possessions as the Orange built an early 14-point lead that eventually evaporated throughout the second half. 

“Joe was really the only guy that made tough shots,” Buddy said about the first half.

After Sean McNeil hit a deep 3-pointer with two minutes left in the first half, Girard dribbled up the court toward West Virginia’s bench. He crossed the ball over four times, bounced once more with his right hand and elevated — from one step to the right of the March Madness logo, the same area where he pulled up earlier in the season when forcing shots.

The ball sunk through the basket, and Girard turned back down the court with his hand still raised. Then, that same right hand dropped toward his mouth, placing one finger across his pursed lips and motioning to the Syracuse bench, to the crowd, to anyone looking, that he’d found his rhythm again after lacking it for so long. Rebounds and assists sprinkled in, and Girard started to resemble the point guard SU needed.

Published on March 22, 2021 at 1:36 am

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew