Syracuse Basketball: 5 Takeaways From Battle 4 Atlantis

“I watched Texas A&M and I haven’t seen a bigger, stronger, more physical team in my life”. Syracuse responded with a run of their own.

The Aggies turned things around by outscoring SU, 12-5, in less than five minutes.

The Orangemen’s famous zone defense forced UConn out of its offensive rhythm, late in the first half, and early in the second, and they built a 10-point lead with less than seven minutes to play.

Check back tomorrow for full coverage of the game against Texas A&M.

With Michigan trailing 41-24 early in the second half, LeVert checked back in for the first time after picking up two first half fouls and immediately scored five points, giving the Wolverines some life.

Malachi Richardson drained a three from the right wing to clip the margin to five, but Texas A&M tacked on another basket. Rob Dauster wrote more about the Bulldogs and their second-half performance here. We have to do a better job starting the game particularly against good teams.”ABOUT MICHIGAN (2-2): LeVert, who missed the second half of last season with a fractured foot that delayed his entry into the National Basketball Association, leads the Wolverines in scoring (19.8), including 9-of-18 from 3-point range”.

The Aggies put each of those attributes on display during a highly competitive opening 20 minutes. After hitting seven of its first 10 shots of the game, UConn struggled against the Orange’s vaunted 2-3 zone much of the rest of the way.

“(Syracuse) played a great game in the second half”, Ollie said, “really took it to us offensively”.

Uchebo led the way for Charlotte with his first double-double of the season.

It’s rare for a true college basketball atmosphere to materialize in these exotic locales, in ballrooms-turned-arenas, but the fans of both teams turned out in force, the 4,000 seats about 50-50, and it was UConn-Syracuse all over again. After another Aggie basket, Gbinije connected from the left wing for three, again tying the score, this time at 46 a side.

Cassell’s three-pointer sparked a 22-5 run to end the half, propelling CT to a 36-22 lead at the break.

UConn, ranked 18th coming in, lost to Syracuse in a renewal of their rivalry on Thursday, then the Orange pulled away from Texas A&M down the stretch. As a result, MI set up shop on the perimeter, shooting 10 of its first 15 shots from behind the three-point line. The attempt got a favorable bounce and dropped through the net. UConn settled for threes, and went just 3 for 12 in the half. The fifth-year senior finished the possession he started by dropping in a floater while being fouled. Friday, against Gonzaga, he had two point and two reounds at halftime, when the Huskies trailed 43-27. Kyle Wiltjer scored a team-best 17 points for Gonzaga, which finished third at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Michael Gbinije topped four Syracuse players in double figures with 20 points, including connecting on four three-point shots. Cooney ended up with 17 points as well. The Huskies also dealt with Trevor Cooney ploughing into the lane and ending up at the free throw line. Tyler Davis is averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, Tonny Trocha-Morelos is averaging 11.8 points, and D.J. Hogg is averaging 9.8 points.

Jalen Jones led Texas A&M with 23 points, and Danuel House added 15.