Dayton, Ohio -- Paschal Chukwu has been working with Allen Griffin for less than a year but the assistant coach's voice already owns a corner of his psyche.
"I really hear him in my head," Chukwu said. "I heard him before I went to the line. I think it helped."
Hey, whatever works.
In this case, Chukwu's suddenly-solid stroke and Griffin's calming words combined for three clutch free throws, keeping Arizona State at bay until the end of a 60-56 Syracuse win in the First Four on Wednesday.
For anyone outside the Syracuse inner-circle, this would have been inconceivable a mere four months ago.