Overheard in locker room after Syracuse’s win vs. Virginia Tech: ‘Seeing that is like watching a show’

Syracuse, N.Y. — Judah Mintz admitted thinking about how Tuesday night may have been his last home game in the JMA Dome, why Adrian Autry describes him as “a guy,” how Syracuse has won four of its last five and lessons from Kansas.

Those were just a few things I overheard in the locker room following Syracuse basketball’s 84-71 win over Virginia Tech.

Judah Mintz

On if he thought about Tuesday’s game possibly being his last home game at the Dome:

“For sure. I’ll be completely honest. I thought about it, but that decision will come after the season. It’s like last time. If you would have asked me last year around this time I would have told you I was gone and here I am today.”

On SU’s mentality as the season comes down the stretch:

“I told the team before we got out there, we have to play like we have everything to lose. And we do. That’s how it feels and that’s how we are going to go out there to play and compete every time. There’s a lot at stake for us, as a program and a team, but at the end of the day it’s fun for us. That’s why you see all the smiles on our face when we play together.”

On if SU players are thinking about how to get into the NCAA Tournament:

“Oh yeah. For sure. When we’re out there for 40 minutes, we’re not thinking about. But when we practice and we talk about what we need to do, it’s all based towards the tournament. We’re not playing just to play. We’re playing to get to that goal.”

Quadir Copeland

On Mintz’s 29-point effort against Virginia Tech.

“Man, he’s a superstar. We were talking about it all day being the last game in the Dome. Why not go out with a bang? He did it. He a dog at the end of the day. He works. He hoops. Seeing that is like watching a show.”

On how Syracuse has won four of its last five games:

“Consistency. I feel like we are all playing our part. All contributing to the win. It’s not just one player. It’s just working perfectly.”

Adrian Autry

On SU’s win over Virginia Tech:

“I thought this game today was probably one of the best games. We played both halves today on both ends of the floor. We wanted to to defend the three-point line. We did a phenomenal job of doing that. And we rebounded the basketball.”

On what Judah Mintz has meant to the Orange:

“The one thing I respect the hell out of Judah Mintz is that he’s a guy. He’s a guy. He doesn’t run from it. He doesn’t shy from it. Good or bad, he comes back every game. Despite what the result is, he’s a guy. You don’t have too many people like that with that type of makeup. That’s what makes him really special. When you have a guy, it gives you an advantage. Especially when it gets late in the game.”

On SU’s recent offensive surge:

“I think it’s our spacing. I think sharing the ball. Moving the ball. Our guards, I think our chemistry is getting better. I think they understand what we’re trying to do. It’s easy to guard plays. It’s hard to guard concepts. When you are teaching guys how to play basketball, that is hard to guard. Because it’s unpredictable. Everybody wants to see plays. Everybody can call plays. We can call a play, but can you play basketball? That’s what this offense is about. Space and letting players play.”

Kyle Cuffe

On the role he’s playing for the Orange off the bench:

“Giving us a spark. Playing defense. That’s the most important thing that I have to do. Guard the best guy and give me teammates a rest when needed. We’re getting to the end of the season. Dudes like Judah and JJ, they can’t play 40 minutes all the time. We want to get to that Sweet 16, Elite 8. I know from being there being on a team like Kansas where we had Dajuan Harris but then we had a dude like Remy Martin coming off the bench. Having people coming off the bench and bringing the energy is going to help us win games.”

Justin Taylor

On how Syracuse beat Virginia Tech:

“We know how well they can shoot the ball. We limited them on three’s. We didn’t allow transition points, which is where they kind of thrive. The games they have won, they shot over 40% from three, so we limited that. We were able to get our stops defensively and score the ball. They made a run in the second half but we were able to stay locked in and finish the game.”

On Mintz’s big game against Virginia Tech:

“It speaks for itself. He carries us. He helps us even when he doesn’t score the ball. Tonight, he was able to show why he can score the ball so well and why he’s a problem and will continue to be.”

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