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After Michael Devoe missed a pair of jumpers and Dallan Coleman grabbed the offensive rebound, giving Georgia Tech one more chance to take the lead for good with three seconds left in overtime. But a third shot from Devoe, this one a 3-pointer, bounced off in the final seconds, and Syracuse escaped with a 74-73 win against the Yellow Jackets.

For the second time in three days against a team in the bottom-third of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Syracuse picked up a win, but this time, it took until the final seconds of an extra frame against the Yellow Jackets. The two teams were supposed to meet Dec. 29, 2021, but that game was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Georgia Tech program. In the rescheduled contest, Jimmy Boeheim led SU with 20 points, while Cole Swider added 18 and Buddy Boeheim recovered from a scoreless first half to add 15.

Here are some observations from the Orange’s second consecutive win.

Sidibe in overtime

When Frank Anselem fouled out late in regulation, head coach Jim Boeheim turned to Symir Torrence and a small lineup. But in overtime, Bourama Sidibe — and his four personal fouls — checked back into the game, and he finished with three points, two rebounds and a key jump ball tie-up with 1:08 left that gave possession back to SU after Buddy missed a layup.

Sidibe converted his layup driving from the left side, weaving through Georgia Tech defenders before finishing his shot off the glass. Then, at the 3:08 mark in a tie game, he drew a foul, missed the first foul shot and hit the second to give the Orange a 69-68 lead. Sidibe checked out for Torrence with 29 seconds left and with the Yellow Jackets needing to press after a costly turnover by Kyle Sturdivant. The Carrier Dome fans rose to their feet to cheer Sidibe, who logged over 15 minutes for the second game in a row.

Jimmy’s first-half tear

After the opening 20 minutes, Buddy was scoreless. Swider hadn’t scored a field goal until the 2:01 mark. SU opened the game 0-for-6 from the field and didn’t score from the field until after the first timeout. But the Orange and Georgia Tech were still tied at 33, and the primary reason for that reflected in Jimmy’s first-half stat line: 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field.

That put him on pace to tie his season-high for shots attempted (20 against Indiana on Nov. 30), but he attempted just seven across the second half and overtime. He scored Syracuse’s first basket of the game with 16:08 left in the opening half, snapping the near four-minute stretch of shooting struggles for the Orange. Jimmy then scored another basket soon after on the exact same play design — a drive right, then a floater from the hash above the block that banked off the backboard and in.

His offensive success, at least in the first half, opened up opportunities for other SU players instead of Buddy or Swider drawing extra attention and freeing up space for him like in past games, and the first example came after he’d made his first two baskets. He crossed over and drove left on his Georgia Tech defender, drew help sliding over and tossed a pass to an open Sidibe for a dunk. Jimmy only scored five points in the second half and overtime, though, as Buddy and Swider took over as the focal points of the Orange’s offense once again.

Georgia Tech’s points in the paint, in transition

All of Syracuse’s misses to open the game freed up Georgia Tech to kickstart transition opportunities, and the Yellow Jackets scored their first six points on fastbreak opportunities. Rodney Howard converted his second layup of the game after Joe Girard III took and missed a 3 in front of the GT bench, while moments later Jimmy turned the ball over after driving into the paint and Jordan Usher converted at the other end.

But even as the Orange’s offense settled into a rhythm, the Yellow Jackets still attacked the paint and finished with 34 points inside compared to Syracuse’s 20.

Buddy’s scoreless stretch

Outside of Girard’s one free throw, Syracuse didn’t score until Jimmy’s bank shot nearly four minutes into the game. For Buddy, that scoreless drought stretched longer — past halftime, and until the 16:28 mark of the second half to give the Orange a 40-36 lead. But he found success hitting mid-range shots from the corner and elbows against the Yellow Jackets, and managed to hit his only 3 of the game in overtime.

Foul trouble at the center position

With Syracuse leading by one with under 90 seconds left, Anselem crept toward Jalon Moore as the Georgia Tech forward drove toward the basket. Moore’s body sank into Anselem’s, a whistle sounded and Anselem turned around before heading to the SU bench with his fifth foul. Boeheim then sent Torrence in the game instead of Sidibe, keeping his backup center on the bench with four fouls.

As Syracuse’s quest to replace Jesse Edwards’ production, with the starting center out for the remainder of the season with a fractured wrist, the Orange have received one strong game from each backup option. Anselem’s occurred against Virginia Tech, when he grabbed 15 rebounds. Sidibe’s came two days ago against Boston College. But the Yellow Jackets contained SU’s center position until Sidibe became effective in overtime.

Anselem finished with 10 rebounds before fouling out, while Sidibe grabbed five rebounds while scoring five points.

They took care of the ball, though

Syracuse only recorded four turnovers against Georgia Tech, their fewest in a game this season, better than the five the Orange committed against Wake Forest earlier in the year. One — and the Orange’s only one of the opening half — came when Jimmy turned the ball over by the high post area when he searched for an option to pass to on the perimeter. And in the final 25 minutes, SU only committed three.

Published on February 21, 2022 at 9:49 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew