Syracuse’s star is living up to his name - because he has to
DETROIT — For the man leading the country in minutes per game, there was no time for tired legs.
Syracuse was hanging onto a newfound one-point lead in the final minute of Sunday’s NCAA Tournament second-round win over Michigan State. The Orange’s most experienced scorer, Frank Howard, already had fouled out, so there was not much of a question who was getting the ball: Tyus Battle.
With the shot clock winding down, the sophomore guard made his move. One-on-one against Joshua Langford, Battle began to drive before stepping back at the foul line extended and getting the slightest bit of separation to let a jumper fly. It hit nothing but net, giving Syracuse the 52-49 lead with 47.6 seconds left.
“Man, I’m just glad I finally made one when I had to,” Battle said in a jubilant Orange locker room following the 55-53 win. “I was missing a lot of jump shots the entire game. You can’t lose confidence in situations like that. People miss shots, but if you stop shooting the ball, that proves you lost confidence. When I went into that move, I took that with supreme confidence.”
It was only the fourth shot that Battle made in 15 attempts Sunday, but it was more than good enough knowing it helped keep 11th-seeded Syracuse dancing into the Sweet 16 for a date Friday with No. 2 Duke in the Midwest Region.
The Orange are still alive because of their defense and Jim Boeheim’s two-three zone that throws opponents into shambles. But they’ve had to muster just enough offense, too, and Battle has been able to provide clutch points.
The Edison, N.J., native is shooting just 31.7 percent (13-for-41) and averaging 13 points while playing every second of three NCAA Tournament games — well off his marks of 39.8 percent and 20 points per game during the regular season — but his teammates still want the ball in his hands with the game on the line.
“Him right there, that’s the real deal,” Howard said. “He does this every game. People talk about our shooting percentages and all this and that, but we’re being guarded very heavily. The paint is very packed each game, and we still fight through. He’s special, if you ask me, and we’re gonna keep playing through him.”
Battle started Sunday’s game 0-for-4 from the field with one point in the first half. The Orange only trailed by three at halftime, but Boeheim had a message.
“Tyus, you’ve got to go,” he said.
And so he did, with a focus on getting to the foul line in the final 20 minutes.
“I just had to see something go into the basket, just get myself going,” said Battle, who went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in the second half — including two with 6.1 seconds left — and finished with a game-high 17 points.
The 6-foot-6 Battle, whose 38.97 minutes per game is the third-highest average of any college basketball player since 2009-10, isn’t alone. Howard is averaging 38.39 minutes per game, while freshman Oshae Brissett is close behind at 38.08.
None have missed a game this year and now, after fighting through three games in five days, they’ll have at least 40 more minutes to grind out starting Friday in Omaha.
“I’ve never had a player that didn’t enjoy playing every minute of every game,” Boeheim said. “There’s no question, our players are going to get tired at some stages. And a really good tired player is better than an average fresh player.
“Tyus Battle has made five or six 3s to either win the game or keep us in the game [this season]. If you’re really tired, you don’t do that.”