Syracuse takes 3-pointers, bounces back and takes the road victory at NC State (quick shots from Donna Ditota)

In keeping with 2020-2021 tradition, surprising news was delivered before the balloon was ever tipped over in Raleigh on Tuesday night.

Minutes before the game, Syracuse tweeted on his men’s basketball account that Kadary Richmond (illness, not related to Covid) and Bourama Sidibe (knee pain) were questionable to play against NC State. The last time Syracuse met with NC State – January 31 – we learned that DJ Funderburk would not be available for the Wolfpack.

But then, here it is! Richmond entered the game before 12 minutes into the first half and things got interesting immediately. SU was leading 34-33 at the half. Final score: Syracuse 77, NC State 68.

The Orange claimed a much needed road victory in Raleigh.

Here is what happened:

Richmond is what happened. Sick or not, he made the difference (with Alan Griffin) in the first period. He had three steals in the first half and was all kinds of disruption for NC State, who returned the ball at an alarming rate in this half.

At one point he’s had two back-to-back thefts that lead to depleted buckets. On one of them, a statesman essentially passed the ball to him. Richmond has such a nose, such a talent for basketball. He has great anticipation in the area. And he can sneakily sweep a ball when an offensive player least expects it.

His flights energized Syracuse in this first half. He finished with six points in the first 20 minutes. Final line: 8 points, 3 assists, 4 steals, 4 turnovers. A couple of those turnovers came when he tried to make a home run instead of settling for a single.

It helped SU that the NC state could not, for the life of this one, owns the basketball. The Wolfpack turned him over 13 times in the first half. It was the only thing, really, to slow them down on their offensive side. NC State shot 55 percent in the first half, but because of all those turnovers, State took nine fewer shots in the first half than SU.

The Orange scored 11 points on these turnover. It seems that some opportunities have been missed in these situations. But the 13 turnovers in the first half were not good for the Wolfpack. NC State, for the game, committed 20 turnovers. SU scored 21 points on these errors.

Syracuse made 3-point shots Tuesday. It really was a huge development for a team that struggled to sink shots from the perimeter. SU’s ability to make 3s in this game made a huge difference.

At one point in the second half, the Orange was 7-for-16 from the 3-point line and led the Wolfpack 55-46.

Alan Griffin and Buddy Boeheim were the main architects at 3 points, although Rob Braswell came in for a fouled Quincy Warrior midway through the second half and quickly drained a 3 wing off the bench. (I have some admiration for players who can get off the bench sitting down for an entire game and take a quick shot.)

For the night, the Orange sank 9 of 19 from the 3-point line. Griffin was 4 to 7, Boeheim was 3 to 5.

Alan Griffin made some shots in the first half. He did a deep 3. He did halfway jumps. He picked up a loose ball and put it down. He finished in the lane.

Syracuse needed the score. No other Orange man except Richmond with his own stealing abilities brought much to the offensive table in that first half. Griffin contributed 14 points in the first half on 6 of 9 shots. Syracuse needed every bucket.

Griffin finished with 22 points on 9 of 17 shots.

State, sometimes Tuesday, used a Twin Tower approach from Manny Bates and DJ Funderburk against an already disadvantaged Orange team in the power center / forward size category. Both guys are north of 6-10 and weigh 225-230.

When State entered the big formation, Jericole Hellems, so vital to attacking the zone from the middle of the post, came out and State was not as fluid on the attacking end. Bates and Funderburk, however, had moments of pure bliss on the Orange. As a tag-team combo, they accounted for 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The two big guys, however, also put State at a disadvantage defensively, when those big bodies had to drive the Syracuse guys off the rim. And despite having two gigantic guys at the same time on various occasions, State hasn’t capitalized in the rebound category.

This and that: I imagine Joe Girard wants this “conversation” to come back with an official after missing a jump shot in the first half. This happened during a live ball situation and State was fouled and converted on the other end. … Sidibe didn’t, in fact, play against NC State. … Syracuse won the rebounding battle (32-28) on Tuesday, which has been a barometer of success for the Oranges this season. … The Orange also won the points in the paint category, 28-20. SU exploited a variety of strong advantages to score in the lane against the Wolfpack. Buddy Boeheim for stretches, backed up the much smaller Braxton Beverly in the painted area. Boeheim had a good night’s attack for SU – he scored three points in the first half, but emerged after the intermission. He finished with 16 points and was 6 of 12 overall and 3 of 5 of 3. … Quincy Guerrier, mired in a bit of foul play, finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. … NC State shot 38 percent in the second half.

MORE ORANGE BASKETBALL

You rate the Orange after defeating NC State

Syracuse-NC State Box Score

The difference between Syracuse’s home and road men’s basketball performance is striking

ACC Power ranking: Syracuse men’s basketball continues to decline after Clemson blowout

Axis: The good, the bad and the ugly remain on the Syracuse basketball program

ORANGE BASKETBALL FANS

Face masks | Equipment and clothing | Stream games on fuboTV, Sling, Hulu + Live TV