Syracuse dominant in 73-53 rout of Miami

By Chris Venzon

When you’re hot, you’re hot.

As Buddy Boeheim’s third consecutive triple ripped through the nets in the first half, all the freshman could think about was the practice that’s led to his recent uptick in accuracy from long range. Boeheim is 7-11 from three-point land in Syracuse’s last two games.

“It’s an amazing feeling. It’s something you dream about your whole life. Being out there and being able to make those shots is a lot of fun.” Boeheim said.

In Syracuse’s 73 – 53 victory versus Miami, Boeheim’s marksmanship from deep seemed to rub off on the rest of his Orange teammates. Syracuse launched 30 3-point attempts, sinking a season-high 14 of them, one short of the single-game school record.

In his post-game press conference, Jim Boeheim noted it’s the results that have improved Syracuse’s offense, not the approach.

“[Tonight] they were the same shots we had against Oregon.” Boeheim said, “We just gotta make them.” 

In three straight victories, ‘Cuse is hitting its treys at an unprecedented 46 percent clip. The efficiency is more impressive considering SU’s shot 25-plus attempts from distance in that span. When a team splashes from deep that consistently, it’s hard to defend at any level.

The offense, however, didn’t have all the fun. On the other side of the ball, the Orange held Miami’s shifty point guard, Chris Lykes to eight points, ten below his season average. SU also finished with a 11 blocks, its second-highest mark of the season.

Pascal Chukwu led the way with 5 rejections for Syracuse, his second-highest single game total of the year.

“When [Chukwu] plays like that, we’re a different team. Blocking shots, rebounding, changing shots… and we even found him for a couple buckets inside too.” Boeheim said.

Syracuse is hitting its stride in a crucial stretch of conference play. Next week, the Orange is on the road to take on #10 Virginia Tech.