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Chris Childs caught a pass in the corner and drove left. His head fake on Joe Girard III gave him a step, and his quickness turning the corner gave him a second, while he cut across the paint.

Nine minutes remained in the second half, and Syracuse trailed by five against Bryant. Three-pointers had pierced the 2-3 zone. Shooting woes and an early leg injury to Bourama Sidibe hurt the Orange further. Childs finished with his left hand, drew a foul on Marek Dolezaj and sunk his ensuing free throw to increase the Bulldogs’ lead.

SU’s 2020-21 season was supposed to open with an easy nonconference game against Bryant, one which KenPom gave the Orange a 98% chance to win. Instead, the Bulldogs nearly pulled an upset, building a seven-point halftime lead and extending it to 10 early in the second half. But Syracuse clawed back, regained the lead and held on for a season-opening 85-84 victory.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Bryant and the long ball

From their second possession, when Charles Pride made a 3-pointer to extend an early lead to six, the Bulldogs continually attacked Syracuse’s 2-3 zone from beyond the arc. 

Led by Childs’ five makes, Bryant sunk nine 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes and 13 overall. It forced the Orange to extend their zone in the first half, which sometimes opened up passing lanes for Hall Elisias and Melo Eggleston on the blocks. 

In Bryant’s 15-win season last year, the team shot 32.1% on 3-pointers and had a higher 3PA/FGA% than Syracuse did, per KenPom. Against the Orange on Friday, the Bulldogs used the same approach to nearly pull the upset.

But the Orange closed out on shooters on the wings and corners sooner in the second half. Childs was held without a 3-pointer in the final 20 minutes, allowing SU to mount its comeback.

“They had a lineup where they went all small guys, five guys that can stretch the perimeter and make plays,” Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim said. “We’ve got to adjust and be able to stop that better, get to the corner better.”

Griffin’s role

Alan Griffin initially served as Syracuse’s responder in his first game after transferring from Illinois. As Bryant got hot from beyond the arc early in the first half, torching the 2-3 zone to the tune of 51 points, Griffin often ended up as part of the solution.

Griffin flashed his comfort with the catch-and-shoot 3 early on, lifting one from the right wing before pump-faking and lobbing an interior pass to Sidibe on the next possession. His first 3-pointer, a pull-up from the top of the key, cut a constant first-half deficit to one. He finished with a double-double — 17 points and 13 rebounds — and became one of Syracuse’s main rebounders and lower block presences with Dolezaj and Quincy Guerrier after Sidibe’s injury.

“He’s going to help us a lot during the season,” Dolezaj said, “and we need someone to step up for Elijah, and I think he’s the right choice for us.”

Griffin also helped pace the Orange’s transition offense while facilitating entrance passes into Dolezaj’s post position. Later on, he corralled Girard’s pass in the corner and hit a slicing Guerrier for a layup.

His highlight-reel welcome to Syracuse came late in the second half, with Syracuse trailing 80-78 after its gradual comeback turned the flow into a back-and-forth game. Girard, SU’s sophomore point guard, lofted a pass toward a rising Griffin, and the Illinois transfer one-handed the lob — slamming the ball through the net and tying the game.

Sidibe’s injury, Girard’s struggles 

When Sidibe exited early in the first half with a left leg injury, Syracuse rotated in some three-guard sets, allowing more minutes for newcomers Griffin and Kadary Richmond in their first games.

Dolezaj shifted to center and became a facilitator for Syracuse in the paint, finding wings Griffin and Boeheim for baskets. But Richmond picked up two quick fouls and played sparingly down the stretch, and Girard struggled from the field for most of the game. He finished 2-for-14 overall, and 2-for-9 from 3, for just six points.

With four minutes left, Girard dribbled a pass off his leg that went out of bounds. On the next possession, Pride sunk a 3-pointer and put Bryant back up one.

But Boeheim stuck with his point guard, who averaged 12.4 points and 3.5 assists per game. Girard made two shots in the final minutes, including one that gave the Orange an 83-82 lead.

Published on November 27, 2020 at 5:42 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew