The prospect of Tyus Battle wearing a Syracuse Orange jersey again felt faint last spring, especially when he leapt into the NBA Draft process. But several worried weeks resulted in his return. Through seven games, Battle has paced the team’s offense and spent time at point guard in a junior season that’s made it difficult to imagine a Syracuse team without him.
As a reward for those efforts, Battle won Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week honors this week. Though Syracuse slipped from the AP Top 25 after Connecticut and Oregon swept them at the 2K Classic, Battle responded and has ripped off the most efficient three-game stretch of his career.