Without its leading-scorer Elijah Hughes for a majority of the contest, Syracuse (14-10, 7-6 Atlantic Coast) fell to North Carolina State (16-8, 7-6), 79-74. The Orange have now lost three of their last four. 

Tuesday marked Syracuse’s sixth conference matchup decided by four points or fewer, but SU moved to 3-3 in such matchups.

Here are some takeaways from the contest. 

Elijah, Elijah, Elijah 

After tipoff, Hughes crossed half court with a slight hitch in his step. Syracuse’s best player suffered a muscle strain before the game, ESPN reported, and grimaced before exiting in the contest’s opening 2:33. Hughes wouldn’t return due to a “lower-body injury,” per SU Athletics, stripping the Orange of his 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. 

When Hughes reached the Orange bench, he weakly punched his seat. He threw on a blue, Syracuse-branded zip-up and sat with ice attached at the hip. Brycen Goodine, the late-game hero that helped Syracuse beat Wake Forest on Feb. 8, checked in. With a similar rotation that featured more of Goodine and freshman forward Quincy Guerrier, SU had mixed results. 

Initially, the Wolfpack piggybacked Hughes’ absence into an early lead. The offense, mainly in Buddy’s hands, stagnated. Goodine missed an open dunk. Fans groaned. It wasn’t until Girard scored seven of nine-straight points for SU that the unit regained momentum. Girard attacked the paint, easily dribbling past NC State’s full-court press. Girard finished with 30, helping replace Hughes production. 

With the score close in the second half, no one specific player filled Hughes’ role. Four different scorers reached double-digits for SU. And Hughes, who normally dominates the ball when Syracuse needs to score late, clapped from the bench. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough. 

Not as likely 

The Wolfpack entered the contest 237th in the country in 3-point-percentage (31.9%). Braxton Beverly led them with just 38 makes from deep. Buddy, by comparison, leads Syracuse with 82. Yet the expected outcomes reversed on Tuesday night. NC State connected on 11 shots from beyond the arc. Buddy and Girard, meanwhile, went three-for-18, as the Orange’s team 3-point dip continued. 

Hughes’ injury didn’t help matters, but NC State routinely created offense out of the high post. At least two different players assisted 3s from the spot, usually feeding an open red jersey. 

Into (and out of) foul trouble 

Foul trouble has worsened Syracuse’s depth issue all season. Hughes’ injury exacerbated the weakness. Bourama Sidibe and Dolezaj each committed five and four fouls, respectively. In their place, Guerrier and Jesse Edwards strung together strong performances with Buddy also at small forward. 

NC State dealt with its own foul issues. Starting forward DJ Funderburk and center Manny Bates recorded four apiece, limiting Bates — the leading-shot blocker in the ACC (three a game) — to 14 minutes.

Published on February 11, 2020 at 9:24 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez