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Syracuse had no answer to Virginia’s stifling defense Saturday. UVA guard Reece Beekman held Judah Mintz to five points. The Orange committed 14 turnovers. The Cavaliers’ pack line formation took 7-foot-4 Naheem McLeod out of the contest and forced SU into directionless perimeter passing, which either resulted in rushed 3-point heaves or heavily contested mid-range pull-ups.

But what hurt SU most was a dazzling, season-best offensive display from UVA. Isaac McKneely finished with a career-high 22 points. Virginia shot 57.1% from 3. It finished with 21 assists and 84 total points — the Cavaliers’ highest mark of the 2023-24 campaign so far.

The Orange were never expected to saunter into John Paul Jones Arena and win big. Yet, coming off of an 80-57 trumping of LSU on Nov. 28, there was a quiet expectation that SU could escape with one, or at least keep things close.

What unfolded was a 22-point loss, its worst of the season.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge. We knew it was going to be hard,” said Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry. “In the second half we didn’t make it much of a game…The game was out of reach for us and we just got to keep working and getting better.”

SU’s (5-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 84-62 defeat at Virginia (7-1, 1-0 ACC) wiped away the few remaining celebratory wisps that might’ve spilled over from its victory against the Tigers. It extended SU’s drought at a Quad 1 win, last achieved in the 2020-21 season. It brought back memories of two harrowing double-digit losses to then-No. 7 Tennessee and then-No. 11 Gonzaga during the Allstate Maui Invitational.

And it induced swirling doubt around this young team’s ability, raising questions on whether Autry’s new-look squad will contend with upper-echelon opponents this year.

Based off of the scoreboard, the first 15 minutes went well. Maliq Brown tied the game at 17-17 off of a lefty finish through contact, but SU never looked comfortable scoring the ball.

It generated a 5-0 lead after a Chris Bell prayer from range with time expiring on the shot clock. It took a 15-14 advantage on an off-balance leaner from Benny Williams near the right block, who looked more intent on drawing a foul than collecting two points. Justin Taylor’s only basket came on a panic release from straight on, which barely escaped Ryan Dunn’s outstretched fingertips.

“I thought we made a couple of tough shots early on, but for the most part, it wasn’t a lot of points. But the points that we scored was kind of how we wanted to score,” Autry said. “But we did make a couple (at the) end-of-the-shot clock … If you make three or four of those, you know at the back of your head — that’s not going to be able to win a game.”

For a while, it looked positive. Syracuse stuck around despite not receiving any buckets from its leading scorer, Mintz, until 4:03 before halftime. A reliable secondary option in J.J. Starling and its bench depth had been found! Then, the unsustainable offense that Autry spoke of, gave way. It crumbled. Virginia built a swift 13-point cushion heading into the break. The Cavaliers never looked back from there, continuously enlarging their advantage while SU found no answer.

Facing opponents New Hampshire, Canisius, Colgate and Chaminade, the Orange had leeway to commit mistakes and occasionally let up. But the lackadaisical play, errant ball-handling and lazy execution didn’t work versus Tennessee and Gonzaga. It didn’t work against Virginia. It doesn’t work against talented, experienced and disciplined sides.

So, yes, there’s time and athleticism to work with though Syracuse has provided no indication that it can effectively follow Autry’s aggressive man-to-man defensive mantra or persist with his push-the-pace tempo opposite some of the country’s top teams. Virginia commanded the flow of Saturday’s matchup. It clogged the lane. Ill-advised shots were forced up.

The season is still young but a disturbing pattern has already presented itself, a mere one game into conference play. SU’s next Power Five opponent, Georgetown, shouldn’t be an issue, but a streaky, multi-dimensional Oregon squad on Dec. 17 will.

Whether Syracuse can compete, though, is unknown.

The Game Was Won When

Penetrating on a shot fake which got Mintz to bite, Beekman kicked to McKneely with just over 30 seconds remaining in the opening half. Though positioned several steps behind the 3-point arc, and toeing the UVA logo near midcourt, McKneely didn’t hesitate to fire over Starling.

He canned the jumper to open up a 37-22 Virginia lead, one that Syracuse never came close to touching. The bucket, his fourth made 3, gave McKneely a new career-high 16 points. SU could play the best defense it wanted, but better offense always wins.

Quote Of The Night

“Virginia was on today,” Starling said. “They beat us. They were the better team today.”

Starling looked defeated. Nothing needed to be added. It was as simple as that. Syracuse started off in man defense, then switched to a 2-3 zone. It implemented a full-court press during the waning minutes of the second half, but still couldn’t speed up a prolific Virginia offense. It couldn’t figure out McKneely or Beekman.

The Orange struggled to score the ball, too. They shot 25% from range and 40.7% from the field. UVA cut off baseline drives and closed out efficiently. Nothing clicked as SU featured just two scorers in double figures while chalking up a lowly 10 assists.

Stat To Know: 12

Virginia notched a season-high 12 3-pointers on 57.1% shooting to drown any hopes of a Syracuse comeback. McKneely swished a game-high six makes from range while Andrew Rohde and Taine Murray tacked on two each.

“The one thing I’ll say is that he (McKneely) definitely extended his range,” Autry said. “He made some bombs. He’s a tough cover, he got a lot of experience last year and you can see that experience is helping.”

Through the Cavaliers’ first eight games, a lack of quality perimeter jumpers has translated into close games and their lone loss, a 65-41 defeat to Wisconsin (28.6%). Saturday’s performance was a near-perfect one to fuel UVA in its seventh win.

Game Ball: J.J. Starling

When Syracuse was down and out, Starling emerged as its lone source of firepower that continued to poke and probe at the Virginia defense. He finished with a team-high 16 points.

Embarking on a personal six-point spurt to begin the second half, Starling executed a series of difficult finishes around the rim and over McKneely — a stretch that UVA coach Tony Bennett touched upon at the postgame press conference.

Starling expressed the team’s difficulty getting downhill and Autry praised the help and strong backline of the Virginia defense. But the little success that the Orange did see off the dribble came from gutsy moves inside from Starling, a welcome sign following an off-night last time out (three points, 0-for-6 from the floor) against LSU.

Three Final Points

An uncharacteristic night for Mintz

All of Mintz’s five points arrived in the last four minutes of the first half. He split a pair of free throws, converted on a hanging layup over Jacob Groves then maneuvered past Beekman for a righty lay-in to beat the first-half buzzer. Mintz didn’t score in the second half. He threw up an airball from the top of the key with UVA already ahead by an insurmountable margin. He heard jeers for the remainder of the contest.

Mintz worked hard for his baskets but somehow looked comfortable at the same time. Virginia likely planned for ways to counter his explosive first step and abilities to get to the line, but it seemed Mintz was capable of doing more.

“They’re just a tough defensive team,” Starling said when asked if Mintz saw any trouble offensively. “I don’t really think they took (Mintz) out of the game. Maybe he was in his own head. He just has to continue to be aggressive because we need him to do that.”

Quadir Copeland and Justin Taylor struggle

Combining for just five points at John Paul Jones Arena, Copeland and Taylor’s performance Saturday were forgettable.

Often camped in the corners, Taylor never strung together dribble moves crafty enough to beat his immediate defender off the dribble and failed to find enough space for a jumper while peeling off of screens.

Meanwhile Copeland, usually known and utilized for the energy he brings off the bench, provided minimal contribution. Occasionally one of just a few SU players to crash the offensive boards, Copeland put his body on the line, for six total rebounds, but found sparse success otherwise in any half-court set.

Big man battle

It isn’t an overstatement to say Brown has been the better Syracuse big man early on in the season. At Virginia, Brown notched 10 points to McLeod’s six.

McLeod wins tip-offs, registers momentum-shifting blocks and records more rebounds than Brown by a minuscule differential (4.9-4.5). But he scores less on average (7.4-5.8), garners fewer steals (19-2) and is equipped with quicker feet and broader defensive versatility.

Autry has made it clear that he switches between both players on a game-to-game, situational basis. Yet, Brown has showcased the engine and tenacity he presents, despite being an undersized big, can help Syracuse if given more time.

Next Up: Cornell

Syracuse won’t have any trouble handling Cornell, though its cross-state opponents won seven of its first eight games. The Orange will have to recover from their grueling defeat to Virginia, but Tuesday’s showdown should serve as a much-needed tune-up before a weekend trip to Georgetown on Dec. 9.

The Big Red boast three double-digit scorers on average led by 6-foot-9 Sean Hansen. The forward totaled a game-high 25 points in a win over Lehigh in Cornell’s season-opener.

While SU will likely use this matchup to find its footing, focus must be placed on the smaller, overlooked intangibles to see whether the Orange can “put it (Virginia’s result) behind you,” as Autry has harped.

Published on December 3, 2023 at 5:28 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff