Syracuse vs. Iowa: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2K Classic 2014

One day after being upset by California in the semifinals of the 2K Classic, the Syracuse Orange got back on track with a 66-63 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes to secure third place in the annual tournament at Madison Square Garden. 

This was a vintage performance by Jim Boeheim's team, in good and bad ways. The Orange didn't have a great day shooting the ball, but that swarming 2-3 zone kept Iowa off balance most of the game and they held on. That defensive effort allowed Syracuse to pull away early in the second half. 

Iowa will look to get back on track in its next game against Pepperdine. Fran McCaffery's group was put in a bad spot starting with Thursday's game against No. 10 Texas. California's upset over Syracuse meant the Hawkeyes had to go against ranked teams on back-to-back nights, though they put up a great fight. 

Syracuse led the game 50-35 with just over 12 minutes to play before making a 23-9 run that cut the lead to one with 3.5 minutes to play, per ESPN's Jeff Goodman:

The size of Syracuse, as well as sloppy fundamental basketball in the final minutes, wound up costing the Hawkeyes a potential victory. Adam Woodbury made a bad pass into the paint with Iowa down 63-62 that Chris McCullough was able to intercept and all but seal the game. 

There was a lot to digest from Syracuse's win. Here's reaction from around the Internet, as well as a look at the scoring breakdown. 

Team	1st Half	2nd Half	Final
Syracuse (3-1)	34	32	66
Iowa (2-2)	29	34	63

It was interesting to see how Syracuse responded in this game, especially in light of Boeheim's comments following the loss to Cal. Here's what he said about how the team was adjusting to a new starting point guard in Kaleb Joseph, who is taking over for Tyler Ennis, via Zach Braziller of The New York Post:

"

We got spoiled a little bit last year. We had an unusual freshman point guard. That’s a once in a coach’s career that you get a freshman that can play with that kind of understanding of the game. Kaleb is a very good freshman point guard, very talented, but he has got a lot to learn about the game. 

He’s got to make better decisions. He shot when he should’ve passed and passed when he should’ve shot.

"

While Joseph didn't have a great shooting game, he was much better at distributing and protecting the ball to set up Syracuse's second half surge, finishing the game with nine assists and just five turnovers. 

As far as the offensive heroes for the Orange, Rakeem Christmas and Chris McCullough led the way with dominating efforts. 

Per Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, Boeheim said after Thursday's loss that McCullough wasn't big enough to be a physical player:

However, as Braziller tweeted out during Friday's game, McCullough was a force to be reckoned with except Iowa didn't have an answer:

Bleacher Report NBA Draft Lead Writer Jonathan Wasserman was also complimentary of McCullough, while acknowledging the forward's thin frame:

One problem that Syracuse has had for years is a lack of impact scorers. The Orange have players capable of averaging 12-15 points per game, but as was evidenced in this game when the opponent makes a run, they struggle to get a basket to squash momentum. 

There are times McCullough can look like that player. He just needs to find more consistency away from the basket. It would also help if the Orange had an outside shooter teams had to focus on. Iowa exploited that lack of offensive firepower during the comeback attempt. 

Aaron White was one of Iowa's two stars in the game. He was all over the floor throughout the game, though that did get him in trouble early, as noted by Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com:

When the Hawkeyes needed White to make a play he stepped up, as Chad Leistikow of The Des Moines Register highlighted one of the game's key plays:

Unfortunately, Iowa's 18 turnovers cost it late in the game. Syracuse didn't play a perfect game by any stretch, but it was able to escape with a victory. For a team that's trying to integrate young starters, including Joseph, that's all you can ask. 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter. 

Follow @adamwells1985