Syracuse (6-0) defeated No. 25 Texas A&M (6-1) in the the Battle 4 Atlantis championship, 74-67 on Friday afternoon. The Orange won three games in three days and beat two ranked teams, matching last season’s total. Here are three quick observations from the win.

Can’t be trusted

Michael Gbinije picked up an offensive foul with 14:08 to go in the first half. It was his second foul of the game. His continued presence in the game might have jeopardized his ability to play in the second half, but Syracuse’s backup point guard stayed right on the bench. 

Kaleb Joseph played only four minutes of Syracuse’s 79-76 win over Connecticut. On Friday, he played limited minutes in the first half. On a transition steal by Trevor Cooney, a pass to Joseph went off his fingertips and out of bounds for a turnover. A timeout was called and Boeheim screamed at Joseph on his way back to the bench. Moments later he was subbed out for Malachi Richardson. 

Glass half full

A night after Richardson said he found himself in the second half despite playing his worst brand of basketball in the first half, the freshman wrote a similar narrative. He scored just three points on 1-of-5 shooting in the opening 20 minutes, but scored SU’s first seven points out of the break. 

He connected on four free throws, the first of which came when he was the victim of a flagrant foul on a drive to the basket. Later, he showed poise in going up and under on an and-one layup that tied the game.

Richardson finished with 16 points in the contest. 

Floor-Boards 

Syracuse was dominated on the glass on Friday, getting out rebounded 39-31.  

Jim Boehiem called the Aggies the biggest and strongest team he’s ever seen after SU’s win on Thursday. They lived up to the hyperbolic billing as Syracuse overcame the struggles on the boards.

The second-chance points didn’t burn the Orange too badly. On one play in the second half, Texas A&M had four opportunities to score in the span of a few seconds. The final rebound ended in Lydon’s hands. Syracuse caught the breaks on Friday and executed as well in the win. 

Published on November 27, 2015 at 5:11 pm