A Career Day for Judah Mintz Powers Syracuse Past LSU

By: Austin Barach | @Austin_Barach

Last Wednesday against Division II Chaminade in the 7th place game of the Maui Invitational, SU point guard Judah Mintz scored just four points. The Orange didn’t need him to put on the superman cape in a game that they won by 49. 

On Tuesday night in the inaugural ACC-SEC Challenge, Mintz was terrific. He scored a career-high 33 points en route to an 80-57 thumping of LSU. Throughout what was a stagnant first half for both teams, Mintz continued to attack the rim, going 10-for-11 on free throws. He also scored the first eight points in the second half on a pair of drives, a free throw, and a left-corner three-pointer. After the game, SU Head Coach Adrian Autry said it was a performance that he hadn’t of seen yet from the Maryland native. 

“Well, (Judah’s game today) was the best for now,” Autry said, before chuckling. “It’s the best I’ve seen since I’ve been here, since his two years, this is by far his best game.” 

“I thought he really kept us in that first half,” Autry added. “Getting to the foul line and attacking.”

In the final minute of the half, Mintz raced down the paint in transition and uncorked a monster dunk on LSU’s MWani Wilkinson. Last season, in the first game back from Thanksgiving break (at Illinois), Mintz threw down a thunderous dunk on Skyy Clark.

“I’m gonna give props to JJ (Starling’s) mom,” Mintz said after the game in regards to what fueled his dunk on Tuesday. “She cooked for us, his family cooked for us when we came back from Hawaii, and I think that might be what got me feeling good.” 

Additionally, Autry compared Mintz’s shiftiness and acceleration to legendary NFL running back Barry Sanders. 

The sophomore guard also had four assists, most of which went to forward Chris Bell. Bell, another sophomore, knocked down five triples in the second half and totaled 20 points. He has now amassed two 20-point games this season in just seven games; he never scored more than 17 in any game as a freshman. 

“I feel like I’m unique because I’m more efficient than a lot of people,” Bell said postgame. “Definitely being a shooter helps out a lot.”

Bell had three times as many made threes (6) than LSU had as a team (2). 

“Offensively, he’s just more confident,” Autry said. “He’s stronger, he’s putting the ball on the floor a lot better than he did last year.”

Syracuse (5-2) takes on Virginia (5-1) in Charlottesville on Saturday at noon in the first conference game of the season.