FSU vs. Syracuse: Score and Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

A terrible week for Florida State only got worse, as Syracuse earned an 82-72 upset win over the Seminoles.

The squad had reached No. 6 in the country to begin the week, but a 22-point loss to Georgia Tech removed some of the excitement surrounding the team. The latest loss could now lead to a big drop in the rankings.

Florida State overcame a 44-26 halftime deficit to cut the lead to two points multiple times, but Syracuse never lost the lead in the second half and survived for the impressive victory.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports provided his thoughts on the ACC as a whole:

Andrew White made big shots all day long for Syracuse, finishing with 24 to lead the team. He also filled up the stat sheet with nine rebounds and four steals.

John Gillon ended with 21, mostly thanks to his 13-of-14 from the free-throw line, while Tyler Lydon showed why he is an NBA prospect with 14 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks.

Jonathan Isaac did his best to keep Florida State in the game, ending with 19 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Ricky O'Donnell of SB Nation broke down the freshman's upside:

Dwayne Bacon came through with 19 points and Xavier Rathan-Mayes added 16, although no one else on the roster had more than six points in the loss. The team had 15 turnovers to just 14 assists and shot 38.3 percent from the field, which summed up the offensive woes.

The Seminoles struggled to shoot in the first half. They made just 31.3 percent of attempts, including 1-of-8 from three-point range.

Sam Vecenie of Sporting News described the problem:

Meanwhile, Syracuse had some key players excel individually on defense, per Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com:

This helped lead to a 44-26 lead at the half for the home team.

ESPN Stats & Info described the difference between what the Seminoles had shown in recent weeks:

Head coach Leonard Hamilton summed it up, per Tim Linafelt of the team's official site:

The second half was much different, with Florida State using a 15-5 run to keep the score manageable.

After miserable shooting in the first half, the outside looks started to go down after intermission, with the team making five of the first six attempts from three-point range.

The Seminoles cut the lead down to two points, but they struggled to get over the hump. Brent Axe of Syracuse.com described the situation:

While the score remained within striking range for most of the game from there, the lead never changed. A three-pointer by Bacon helped cut the score to 72-70 with under two minutes remaining, but Syracuse made its free throws and played strong defense to extend the lead to 80-70 with less than a minute remaining.

As Donna Ditota of the Post-Standard noted, rebounding down the stretch also played an important role:

This was enough for Syracuse to hold on for the 82-72 win.

Florida State had excelled in its run of six straight games against ranked opponents, finishing that stretch with a 5-1 record. However, the team hasn't fared as well against weaker competition. A third straight road game at Miami won't necessarily help get out of the recent funk.

Syracuse will also go on the road to take on North Carolina State, a talented squad that has been inconsistent this season.   

Postgame Reaction

Syracuse isn't usually a team that storms the court as it did Saturday, but head coach Jim Boeheim didn't mind.

"It's better than when we get beat and they all go home at halftime, so yeah, I like this better," the coach said, per Matt Schneidman of the Daily Orange.

"This is a crazy league," Boeheim added after the game, per Florida State's official Twitter account. "A lot of crazy things are gonna happen."

Meanwhile, Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton was upset about his team's inability to take over the lead.

"We cut the lead to 2 several times but couldn't get over the hump," the coach described, per the team's account.

Coming back from down 18 at the half was a lot of work, but it didn't mean anything without earning the win.