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In insurance policies, the term “inherent vice” refers to the unavoidable. Syracuse’s inherent vice has been its defense. Naturally, the 2-3 zone is going to allow opponents to shoot a lot of 3-pointers. There’s nothing that Jim Boeheim can do, or hasn’t tried, to stop that.

Georgia Tech was the latest team to take advantage of Syracuse’s defensive flaws, nailing seven 3-pointers in the first 16 minutes. Miles Kelly nailed its eighth from the right corner before Jesse Edwards could close out, then its ninth a possession later from the same spot. 

“Obviously, this is the worst (our defense) has been,” Boeheim said. “You’re supposed to get a little better as the season goes along. It did for a while but now it’s gone backwards.”

The Yellow Jackets entered the game as the third-worst 3-point shooting team in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 32.8% clip from deep. But Georgia Tech (13-17, 5-14 ACC) left the JMA Wireless Dome as the fourth straight team to score more than 13 3-pointers against Syracuse (16-14, 9-10 ACC), defeating it 96-76. 

Kelly and Lance Terry both finished with seven 3-pointers. Georgia Tech’s 18 3’s were a school record. 

“We just have not been able to stop anybody four games in a row,” Boeheim said. “That’s on me, it’s my defense, and we’re not able to stop anybody with it.”

The team has been working on the zone for the past three weeks, but it’s progressively gotten worse, Boeheim said. During that time, the Yellow Jackets have turned into a much better team. They most recently blew out Louisville 83-67. The Yellow Jackets scored 12 3-pointers during that game, carrying their success from deep into the JMA Wireless Dome.

After Benny Williams muscled his way under the basket for the first points of the night, Georgia Tech rotated the ball around the perimeter on the other end. It made its way to Kelly, who nailed a wide open 3-pointer from the left wing. 

“We came out with the mindset not to let Kelly to shoot,” Boeheim said. “He was wide open on the first one. Literally, nobody was 10 feet (away from him).”

Two minutes later, Kelly located Terry in transition following a short jumper from Judah Mintz. Terry caught the ball in stride, rose up and drained a 3 from the right corner, forcing Boeheim to call a timeout.

Terry didn’t play when Syracuse defeated Georgia Tech earlier this season. His opening 3-pointer gave the Yellow Jackets a 10-4 lead, but Syracuse came back quickly via a 3-pointer and layup from Mintz. Joe Girard III scored back-to-back baskets and Edwards started to get more looks inside as Georgia Tech focused on the perimeter.

The defensive problems wouldn’t disappear though. For every response Syracuse had, the Yellow Jackets answered back from deep. After Girard nailed a fadeaway 3-pointer from the top of the key, Kyle Sturdivant bolted to the left corner and sank his shot. Edwards then worked inside and scored on a baby hook shot, tying the game at 21-21. But Kelly drained an ensuing 3-pointer from the top of the key.

“They had multiple guys on the court at the same time who could shoot, obviously that makes it hard to guard,” Girard said. “We just have to try to move better, we were doing that at one point in the season, we just have to get back to it.”

Edwards wrestled his way deep into the paint again with Georgia Tech still focused on Girard at the arc. But he missed on a wide-open hook shot, giving the Yellow Jackets a chance to extend their lead by more than one basket. GT again moved fast in transition and Terry attacked the basket and laid it in off the glass. It wasn’t a 3-pointer, but it ended in a 3-point play as Girard clipped Terry on the way up.

Joe Girard III is guarded by Georgia Tech’s Terry at the perimeter. The Yellow Jackets limited the Orange to 76 points on the night. Isabella Flores | Staff Photographer

Boeheim brought in Maliq Brown, Justin Taylor and eventually slotted Quadir Copeland in the lineup to help with the defensive mistakes. The Orange used their full-court press as well, but the Yellow Jackets had no issue getting past it and setting up their half-court offense. 

SU made some strong defensive plays in the first half, forcing Terry to travel with six minutes left after Copeland plugged a passing lane to Kelly in the right corner. Edwards blocked the ball three times throughout the opening period.

Ja’Von Franklin created more issues for the Orange, serving as GT’s main offensive rebounder. Boeheim said he was quick to the ball while SU’s defense would stand in place. With 15 seconds left in the first half, Franklin collected a blocked jumper from Sturdivant, immediately knocking down a shot from close-range. Sometimes, he didn’t even wait for the ball to get back to the floor, leaping over Williams and Edwards for a putback dunk earlier in the first half. 

The Orange’s problems weren’t fixed during halftime. Dallan Coleman was left unmarked at the top of the key in the second half, wasting no time to convert on GT’s 11th 3-pointer. Franklin then stole the ball from Mintz and dunked it in transition, giving GT a 14-point lead. 

Terry got back into rhythm too, sinking a 3-pointer from the right wing before Mintz could close out on him. Less than a minute later, the Yellow Jackets moved the ball around and Franklin dished it to Terry on the opposite side. He found the bottom of the net, extending the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 64-44 with 17 minutes left.

Terry high-fived Kelly a minute later after hitting his sixth 3-pointer, which would be his third-to-last deep shot of the night. 

GT didn’t slow down its pace at all, reaching 70 points with 15 minutes still left in the game. To push the Yellow Jackets past the 80-point mark, Kelly got control of the ball at the left wing. Williams ran out to contest him but couldn’t get there in time. Kelly’s shot swished through the net and he clapped in Williams’ face, mocking the zone’s inability once again. 

“I’m not getting them to play good enough on the defensive end, that’s the bottom line,” Boeheim said.

Published on February 28, 2023 at 9:03 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu