OVER FOR ORANGE
COUGARS SEND ’CUSE PACKING
There was no magic left in the vaunted 2-3 zone. Not nearly enough lift left in Buddy Boeheim’s tired legs.
Without either at its best, Syracuse didn’t have much of a chance — not against Houston’s vice grip defense and bevy of relentless and active athletic guards and forwards.
The 11th-seeded Orange’s surprising March run came to a sudden halt Saturday night in the Sweet 16, a 62-46 loser to the second-seeded Cougars at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
“It’s the best defense that we’ve seen this year,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.
Houston will meet No. 12 Oregon State, a 65-58 winner over eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago, in the Midwest Region final Monday night. The Cougars last reached the Elite Eight in 1984, in the days of Phi Slama Jama.
Hounded by AAC Defensive Player of the Year Dejon Jarreau, Buddy Boeheim (Jim’s son) scored just 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting, after exploding for 55 points in his first two tournament games. When he was able to get past Jarreau, another defender was waiting for him. His open looks were rare. Houston made sure he couldn’t beat them, staying in close contract with the 6-foot-6 marksman.
“He’s a great defender. Defensive player of the year in their league, so I knew it was going to be a battle,” Buddy Boeheim said, referring to Jarreau. “I had some looks I have to make and I put that on myself. It’s a great defensive team and we had looks we didn’t capitalize on.”
Buddy Boehiem wasn’t alone in his inability to create or produce offense. As a team, the Orange shot 28 percent from the field and made only 5-of-22 3-pointers — after hitting 29 the previous two games — in scoring a season-low and Syracuse tournament-low 46 points. The perimeter was closed off and the Orange couldn’t convert in the paint.
Houston, meanwhile, found plenty of holes in the 2-3 zone that created so many problems for No. 6 San Diego State and No. 3 West Virginia, outscoring Syracuse, 30-16, in the paint. It hit enough 3-pointers, 7-of-26, to loosen up the zone and hammer the Orange inside.
Jarreau was all over the court, notching nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Quentin Grimes had 14 points and Marcus Sasser added 12 points and four steals. Joseph Girardi III scored 12 for Syracuse (18-10).
Houston (27-3) quickly built a 12-point lead early in the second half. It was picking apart the Syracuse zone, getting whatever shot it wanted. The Orange responded with a 10-2 run to draw within four, as Buddy Boeheim got going, scoring on back-to-back possessions, and Kadary Richmond sank a 3-pointer from the left corner.
But the momentum would be short-lived. Houston methodically pushed the margin back to nine by the under-8 timeout, and soon the lead was back to double figures after a Grimes drive with 6:49 left. There was no drama in the final minutes, not like the Cougars’ previous win over Rutgers when it had to stage a frantic rally to advance.
“Houston was tremendous defensively,” Jim Boehiem said. “I thought we did a great job fighting back. Their defense was just too much for us. I’d give 90 percent of the credit to their defense.”
Afterward, Jim Boeheim raved about the season his team had. Dealing with multiple COVID-19 pauses, needing to finish strong just to make the tournament, and defeating two quality teams to reach the Sweet 16 for the third time in five years. The loss didn’t sour him on his team’s accomplishments.
“This is one of the best years that I have ever had coaching,” he said, “For these guys to get through this and to get to this stage.”