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Doesn't it seem quiet out there? I know people are talking, but it feels like there's a void where our fan-voice used to be. There's nothing but silence, and man, is it deafening.
After waxing philosophical, I started preparing for this piece. The overall stats from the game between the Syracuse Orange and the Boston College Eagles weren't as horrible as one may have expected, so I'm presenting them to you a little bit differently.
Keep one eye closed if it makes you feel better, but we're taking a look at the Orange's first loss of the season, by the numbers.
Team Stats
|
|
FT% |
TO% |
Assist% |
Off Reb% |
Def Reb% |
Poss. |
eFG% |
3P% |
Eff. |
|
Game |
70.8 |
11.3 |
70.0 |
35.4 |
69.0 |
62 |
33.9 |
16.7 |
95.2 |
|
Season |
70.5 |
14.9 |
51.9 |
39.1 |
67.6 |
60 |
49.8 |
35.7 |
114.5 |
I threw a lot out there so you can really see that, by the numbers, the Orange lost last night because it was extremely inefficient and just couldn't put points on the board. Every other aspect of the game was on par with, or better than, season averages: free throws went in, turnovers were minimized, and BC only out-rebounded Syracuse by 3.
But none of that matters when no one can score.
The Effective Field Goal Percentage was the lowest of the season. Before this, Syracuse's worst performance was Saturday's N.C. State game (37%). Last night's overall efficiency was the year's second lowest. The lowest? Yep - N.C. State again (93.3).
And that feels about right. It's not news that shots haven't been falling in the last two games, but the disparity is glaring.
The most surprising stat, in a good way, was the assist percentage. With so few made buckets, I expected this number to be much lower. Good to know that Syracuse continued to share the ball, but I'm willing to bet the players were simply trying to find someone who could put it in the hoop.
Individual Stats
C.J. Fair FGA
Game: 23
Season: 14.4
Try as he might, the senior leader was unable to pull another rabbit out of his hat. He took 9 more shots than he usually does. Nine! Credit the effort, for sure, it's just unfortunate it didn't help.
Tyler Ennis FG%
Game: 42.9%
Season: 42.2%
Keep in mind that last night's figure takes into account Ennis going 1-for-3 from beyond the arc. On paper, he had a great night, but it wasn't enough this time.
***
This one stings, but it's not because the Orange lost, and it's not because they lost to the Eagles. It's because of how the loss came: at home, to a conference basement-dweller, after a week spent defending this team's undefeated record as evidence of skill when everyone else called it luck.
Then, what happened? Is it exhaustion? Did players' legs finally give out? Are they taking games for granted? It may have been a little of everything.
But I'll tell you what it's not - it's not the end of the season. So save up your voice and relish the silence, because Duke is up next. And Cameron is deafening.
