For the second time in as many seasons, Syracuse took a late Virginia Tech lead and turned it into a dramatic win in the Carrier Dome.

The Orange (16-8, 6-5 Atlantic Coast) outlasted the Hokies (12-11, 4-6) in a 68-60 overtime win on Tuesday night, clawing from behind after VT took a seven-point lead into the final minutes of regulation. To do so, SU rode the talent of its three best players — Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson — and turned up its defense aggressiveness after Virginia Tech shot 50 percent from the field in the first half.

Here’s what we learned in the game.

1. Michael Gbinije is ready to be ‘that’ player

Forget Gbinije’s game-high 17 points, and the fact that he managed to be effective on both ends of the floor despite picking up his fourth foul with 5:31 left in regulation. That all helped the Orange fight back and ultimately beat the Hokies, but Gbinije did something even more important as far the bigger picture of Syracuse’s season is concerned.

He proved, by knocking down a deep, deep game-tying 3 with 26.7 seconds left in the second half, that he’s capable of carrying a team in crunch time. There were some question marks of how Gbinije would develop in his first year as SU’s starting point guard, and it was clear Tuesday that he’s developed into much more.

“Mike stepping up, that’s a big 3,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “… That’s a big shot. That’s a real big shot. And players do that. Really good players make those shots. He made it, then he got us going in overtime.”

Gbinije, after giving the Orange a chance then captaining its final push, coyly described the biggest play of the night.

“I took it, I’m glad I made it,” Gbinije said. “It was a decent look, I’m just grateful that it went in.”

2. Boeheim still expects more from Tyler Roberson

In the midst of Syracuse’s wild win, Roberson quietly collected his fifth double double of the season with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Six of those rebounds came on the offensive end to further cement him as one of the best, if not the best, offensive rebounder in the ACC. As the Orange trudged through the first half shooting 29.6 percent from the field, Roberson kept the offense afloat with eight points and eight rebonds to keep the Virginia Tech halftime lead to a tempered six points.

But Boeheim said he expects that kind of performance from the 6-foot-8 forward, especially with the Hokies using a 6-foot-5 guard as its tallest player for a good portion of the game. Always tough on Roberson, Boeheim pointed out that he’s being left alone on offense and needs to capitalize more on those opportunities.

It was another solid performance from the player whose anchored a thin frontcourt for much of this season, but there’s still untapped potential due to Roberson’s unmatched athleticism and often passive approach.

“He’s got a wonderful opportunity because they’re doubling our guards and our guards are getting shots off and he’s going to the basket,” Boeheim said. “This isn’t really a criticism, but if no one is guarding you and no one is blocking you out, you should get the rebound if we miss. You should get the rebound. And he did that, and he should continue to do that.

“… And he’s got to take, like at Duke and tonight, he’s got to take the short pocket pass and he’s got to take to the basket and he made it. We’ve got to do that more. He’s got to be more offensive-minded in those situations right there.”

3. Syracuse has a center it can press with

Earlier in the year, Boeheim said the Orange couldn’t use its full-court press because 6-foot-8 center Tyler Lydon wasn’t protecting the rim well enough.

Like most full-court presses, SU’s late-game press looks to trap the ball in the backcourt and then scrambles to put pressure on the ball if the opposing team gets it over half court. If that pressure is broken, the center is often left alone to contest layups by driving guards or defend two-on-ones.

Lydon eventually fouled out with 13 points in overtime, but his ability to anchor the press and adequately protect the rim made Boeheim confident with the press and kept Syracuse afloat in the final minutes of regulation.

“I thought Tyler Lydon saved the game when we were trapping and pressing and they were getting to the basket,” Boeheim said. “He changed their shot, got the rebound and we got out and scored. I think he did that once or twice.”

Published on February 3, 2016 at 12:33 am

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse