The big issue that has been plaguing the Orange is second chance points. In the first five minutes of the game, that was a huge factor. Miami continued to get additional opportunities that eventually they converted on.
Hand-in-hand with that Syracuse lost the battle of the boards vs Pitt, if Paschal Chukwu didn’t reel in 11, imagine how much worse it would’ve been?
The Hurricanes may only have seven healthy dudes to choose from, but as Syracuse witnessed last season, occasionally that can be more then enough. The Hurricanes entered this game as the third best three point shooting team in the ACC and they showed that shooting prowess in the first half.