Syracuse men’s basketball falls to Oregon in 2K Empire Classic

SU basketball loses second game in NYC tourney

Four Syracuse players scored in the double digits, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Ducks.

Story by Brian Ho / Photos by Doug Steinman

Published: November 17, 2018

The Syracuse offense lacked rhythm and hustle. Another dreadful shooting slump proved costly in the 80-65 defeat against No. 13 Oregon. Sluggish ball movement combined with 17 turnovers —10 in the first half — and Syracuse’s inability to establish any interior scoring ultimately cost the Orange the game.

Oregon’s 7-foot-2 freshman center Bol Bol showcased his athleticism and versatility in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd. He finished with a game-high 26 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks — absolutely dominating Syracuse on both sides of the court.

Jalen Carey had his second straight solid performance. He played 36 minutes and put up 14 points on 4-8 shooting from the field.

Tyus Battle finished with 17 points on 4-10 shooting. He was clearly frustrated with himself after tonight’s game.

When asked whether the team is playing at the pace they want to, Battle said: “I should have done a better side pushing up the court. I just have to be more aggressive. I think we’re getting good looks. Those will fall.”

Forward Oshae Brissett has struggled mightily on the offensive front in the 2K Empire Classic. Coming off last season as a double-double machine, Brissett shot 5-27 overall, including 2-13 from beyond the arc and collecting a total of 11 rebounds these past two days.

“Just two bad games,” Brissett said. “I take those full on myself. There’s no other outside distractions. It’s just me. I just got to play better.”

“We need him [Oshae] and Tyus to play at a very high level… and they’re not,” Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim said. “Our defense is nowhere near where it was last year. They’re not affecting the game on either end. We need more from them.”

Elijah Hughes was the fourth Syracuse player to score in double figures. He contributed 14 points and 5 steals, but also coughed up 6 turnovers. The big men — Paschal Chukwu, Bourama Sidibe and Marek Dolezaj — were badly outplayed and collectively added only 4 points and 7 boards.

Boeheim reiterated his thoughts on the team having to be more physical, “What we did last night, because we weren’t making shots, was we got to the basket.

You’re not getting to the basket against Oregon. We don’t have a big inside game so we’ll have to make our shots. I think we have guys that can make those shots.”

The Orange return home to host Colgate in the Dome on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.