PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Malachi Richardson was getting an earful on the Syracuse bench not more than two minutes into the game. His first attempt to score, a drive into the teeth of the lengthy Connecticut defense had turned into an offensive foul.
One minute, 50 seconds in, Tyler Lydon was checking in for his freshman counterpart.
“That was my worst brand of basketball,” Richardson said of his first half, “and hopefully you’ll never see that again from me.”
Richardson finished with 13 points to go along with his six rebounds. He hit a couple big shots in the second half to spur Syracuse to a 79-76 win over No.