SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse Orange men's basketball defeated New Haven 74-58 on an emotional night at the JMA Wireless Dome. Coaching his first game at his alma mater just two days after the death of his father, Gerry McNamara starts his Orange career 1-0.
It was not an oil painting, but there were glimpses of what this Syracuse team can be and should be throughout the contest. The Orange jumped out to an 18-0 lead, and it was enough to sustain the win.
Here are a few takeaways.
The best two-way game of Sadiq White's career
It took basically two possessions for Sadiq White to match his rebounding total from 50 minutes of exhibition basketball. He grabbed an offensive board on the first possession of the game, and continued to rebound at a high level throughout the contest. He broke the 10 rebound barrier for the first time in his college career, and it came at a time when his rebounding was most questioned. He showed the requisite effort to get on the glass.
But it wasn't just the glass. He made a few big blocks on the defensive side of the ball, and played a pretty strong overall defensive game.
And on offense, he was as direct and aggressive as I've seen him. There was a two-play stretch in the second half where he drove baseline for a furious slam, and then drove into the paint to draw a foul on the very next possession. Yes, he'll need to make more than half of his free throws, but he showed more intent offensively than we'd seen. White finished with 14 points to go with his 10 rebounds. That scoring output ties his career-high.
This is Gavin Doty's team for now
At least until Aiden Tobiason gets back, and possibly even beyond that, this is Gavin Doty's team. He's been the heart and soul of every team he's ever played on, and that doesn't seem to have changed just because the uniform says Syracuse instead of Siena, CIty Rocks, or Fulton.
He made a three-pointer on the first possession of the game, and then scored Syracuse's second field goal as well. He finished with 14 points, but it certainly wasn't his scoring that caught eyes on Monday.
Doty brought the same level of insane hustle that he brought to Siena each day. In the first half, he poked a ball free from a New Haven hand directly after a defensive rebound, then finished as he fell to the ground. It was his second consecutive double-double, if you include the exhibition game against Nagara. Doty finished with 14 points on just seven field goal attempts, along with 13 rebounds and three assists. He made multiple eye-popping effort plays throughout the game.
Until Tobiason comes back, he'll be Syracuse's workhorse in terms of how many minutes he plays. There will be more lineups where SU can survive without his creation and effort when Tobiason comes back, but McNamara might just want to keep him on the floor anyway.
Kiyan Anthony breaks his slump
As I detailed last week, Kiyan Anthony scored just six points in 51 minutes of exhibition basketball. He shot 2-for-16 and didn't make any threes. He looked much better out there on offense Monday night. He was under control and was able to make his scoop drives work out a couple times. He missed a few threes that he probably either should be making, or shouldn't be taking, but in this game, it's fine to let him feel it out.
Anthony finished with 17 points on 5-12 from the field, and perhaps more importantly, 5-6 from the line. Anthony shot just 63% from the charity stripe last year. He also had three assists and zero turnovers.
Here's the thing. We've seen Anthony do this before. He was excellent in the first three games against Binghamton, Delaware State, and Drexel last year. While it's good to see him break a 2-for-16, he still has yet to prove his worth in SU's big games. We'll have to wait and see on that.
Flat Minutes Distribution
Gavin Doty played 34 minutes, nine more than any other Syracuse player. Seven Orange players played between 16 and 25 minutes. At the point guard spot, Garwey Dual played 23 minutes, while Ryan Moesch played 17. At the center spot, Luke Wilson played 23 and Abdramane Siby played 16. Mark Morano, Kiyan Anthony, and Sadiq White played 22, 25, and 25 minutes.
There was no sign of Francis Folefac on Monday night, and Amarri Monroe only played nine minutes. Tasman Goodrick and Iker Martinez checked in for some of the final minutes of the contest. McNamara is clearly trying to feel out what lineups he can use in what spots.
I'd like to see a little more of Monroe on Thursday against CCSU. He seems content to play a supporting role when he's on the floor, which could help this team if his conditioning truly gets up to speed. I'm still not convinced by Anthony, and I'm not sure he ends up playing as much as he did tonight in ACC play.
I'm also curious to see how the big man rotation works out next week against Indiana and St. John's. It's clear that McNamara is trying to give Siby time to get used to the game against SU's mid-major opponents, but will he be ready to give 10-15 minutes against a high-major next week?
