In front of more than 30,000 fans, Syracuse held on after Georgia Tech came within three points and eventually rolled to a 90-61 win on Saturday in the Carrier Dome. The Orange (18-13, 10-8 Atlantic Coast) won by its largest margin of victory in conference play and avenged a six-point loss to the Yellow Jackets (17-14, 8-10) two weeks ago. SU next faces Miami on Wednesday in the second round of the ACC tournament at the Barclays Center.

Here’s what we learned from Syracuse’s win over GT.

Dajuan Coleman was told he wouldn’t play basketball again

With about six minutes left, Syracuse’s fans began chanting, “We want Dajuan!” They wanted to see the former McDonald’s All-American from nearby Jamesville-DeWitt (New York) High School who had appeared in only three conference games entering Saturday.

The reason he hadn’t played, Boeheim said, is because Coleman “literally can’t move” after two knee surgeries that kept him out for 22 months. But after the second injury, Boeheim and Coleman were both told that he wouldn’t be able to play again.

“When it happened, they told me he would not be able to come back and play,” Boeheim said. “That was it. Period. No questions about it. He worked really hard. I think he somehow played through this just on sheer will and determination.”

The game against Georgia Tech is likely Coleman’s last game in the Carrier Dome. He is one of two players in SU history to be a part of two Final Four teams.

“I think he could have been a really good player,” Boeheim said, “but not with those knees.”

Boeheim thinks John Gillon would be All-ACC if he could play another year at Syracuse

John Gillon joined his third college team when he transferred to Syracuse this offseason after playing at Arkansas-Little Rock and Colorado State. With only one season of eligibility left, he began the year in a platoon role at point guard with Frank Howard, but Boeheim eventually turned the reigns of his team over to Gillon on Jan. 4 in a full-time role, a decision he described as risky.

But since that point entering Saturday, Gillon averaged 13 points, 6.3 assists and 2.7 turnovers in 34.9 minutes. It took about half of the season for Gillon to adjust to Boeheim’s coaching style and lock in, but Gillon has since been at the forefront of Syracuse’s turnaround.

“I think John has really shown some big, big strides this year,” Boeheim said. “I talked to his mother yesterday. I said, ‘I wish I had John one more year.’ If he had one more year, the way we play, he’d be an all-league player. … But it’s hard when you have just one year.”

Tyler Roberson could be a “really good college player” player if he could hit jump shots

Boeheim said seniors Coleman and Tyler Roberson gave everything they could to SU’s program. Still, Roberson’s significant flaw is that he struggles shooting jump shots. That’s largely what bumped him out of the starting lineup while freshman Taurean Thompson, Syracuse’s best low-post scorer, has replaced him.

After Roberson’s Senior Day, Boeheim cited the potential Roberson had but never quite fulfilled. Boeheim has critiqued Roberson’s offensive game, but has rarely gone as in-depth about his lack of a jump shot as much as he did Saturday.

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MORE COVERAGE

• Andrew White’s 40-point explosion propels Syracuse past Georgia Tech, 90-61
• Syracuse continues home dominance and beats Georgia Tech, 90-61
• Gallery: Syracuse routs Georgia Tech, 90-61, in regular-season finale
• The Final Word: Syracuse thumps Georgia Tech, 90-61

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“With Tyler Roberson, the sad thing is, if he could shoot, he could be a really good college player,” Boeheim said. “He can’t make a foul shot or a typical jump shot. And when he gets the ball in those positions where guys would score, he has to pass it out. Now we have to start all over again. It’s affecting our offense.”

Last season, Boeheim said if he had anyone else to play in Roberson’s spot, he wouldn’t play. Now that Thompson has impressed, Boeheim’s words came true. Roberson’s minutes have dropped to 20.4 as a senior from 30.8 per game as a junior.

Published on March 4, 2017 at 9:18 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds