Duos have been the key to success for Syracuse men’s basketball (20-11, 11-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) against NC State (18-14, 9-11 ACC) this year.
The Orange have had two players combine for at least 45 points in both of its wins against the Wolfpack this year. Wednesday, Syracuse faces off against NC State for the third time. But this time the stakes are a little bit higher. It will be the No. 7 seed Orange and No. 10 seed Wolfpack in the ACC Tournament second round in Washington, D.C.
Four different players have shined for SU against NC State. In the first meeting of the year at the JMA Wireless Dome, it was the backcourt of Judah Mintz and JJ Starling who stepped up. The guards combined for 46 points as SU finished with a 77-65 victory on Jan. 27.
Judah Mintz scored a bulk of his 20 points from the line. The sophomore shot 14 of 18 from the free throw line.
“He can change direction, he’s crafty, he knows angles,” Syracuse Head Coach Adrian Autry said after the game of how the sophomore gets to the line so easily. “If you give him space, he’s very good at eating up that space and he’s aggressive.”
Sophomore JJ Starling meanwhile put forth a career-high 26 points in the winning effort. His night got off to a wicked hot start. The guard had the first ten points of the contest for SU. But his shooting continued throughout the night, including a late dagger three off of one of Mintz’s nine assists.
“I think him and Judah are really starting to gel a little bit, knowing where each other’s at,” Autry said.
When the two teams rematched in February, Chris Bell and Quadir Copeland took center stage. The sophomores scored a combined 51 points en route to a 87-83 victory in Raleigh. Bell starred in the first half and Copeland took over in the final twenty minutes of the game.
For the opening half Bell could not miss. The forward scored all 26 of his points in the first, including eight three pointers. This was one away from tying the most in program history.
“Really they were just face-guarding me in the corner, so just letting our guards work, trying to create space,” Chris Bell said of his court presence after the win. “When they leave, just be ready to shoot.”
As Bell quieted down in the second half, Copeland got to work. The sophomore scored 13 of his career-high 25 points down the stretch.
This included go-ahead free throws with fifteen seconds left in the contest. He then forced Wolfpack guard DJ Horne, who finished with 21, to miss a three on the ensuing possession.
Syracuse did see comfortable leads evaporate in both of the wins. In game one a 21-point second half lead got as low as 11. And in the second matchup, a 15-point lead was completely erased at one point.
NC State is hoping the third time's the charm against Syracuse. The Wolfpack defeated 15-seed Louisville in the ACC first round Tuesday. NC State had a duo of their own to help seal the victory. Graduate student Casey Morsell had 25 points while junior Jayden Taylor added 18 to go along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Tip-off from Capital One Arena is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday. WAER’s coverage from D.C. starts at 6:30 p.m. with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.
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This included go-ahead free throws with fifteen seconds left in the contest. He then forced Wolfpack guard DJ Horne, who finished with 21, to miss a three on the ensuing possession.
Syracuse did see comfortable leads evaporate in both of the wins. In game one a 21-point second half lead got as low as 11. And in the second matchup, a 15-point lead was completely erased at one point.
NC State is hoping the third time's the charm against Syracuse. The Wolfpack defeated 15-seed Louisville in the ACC first round Tuesday. NC State had a duo of their own to help seal the victory. Graduate student Casey Morsell had 25 points while junior Jayden Taylor added 18 to go along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Tip-off from Capital One Arena is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday. WAER’s coverage from D.C. starts at 6:30 p.m. with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.