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An aloof yet brisk stride — away from the commotion and NC State’s desperate clamoring for a foul call — was Quadir Copeland’s reaction to his game-winning defensive stop. Muted. Like he’d been there before.

It was odd because Copeland had been overly animated — even by his standards — throughout Syracuse’s away matchup with NC State.

He pranced merrily along the visiting sideline when Chris Bell canned his fourth 3. Later, he raised his right palm to the skies — as if in worship of it — after converting an and-one opportunity down the stretch. The latter was followed by a celebratory shimmy, too.

But there was barely any emotion displayed when Copeland fought through an elevator screen to stay in front of Wolfpack star DJ Horne. He moved his feet as Horne side-stepped left and didn’t jump when Horne pump-faked.

SU’s sixth man put two hands in the air — the splitting image of disciplined defense — and Horne missed a go-ahead 3-point opportunity.

To guard the opposition’s best player up by one with the seconds dwindling, Copeland wanted that moment. Defense was how he earned his stripes at rough-and-tumble pickup runs at Kingsessing Park in southwest Philadelphia, so this was nothing new. Just another game of basketball.

Copeland’s defense on Horne drew an airball and set up Judah Mintz for two free-throws, securing SU’s (17-10, 8-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) 87-83 win over NC State (16-10, 8-7 ACC). Finishing with a career-high 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting, Copeland converted layups, came up with steals and consistently executed crucial plays to cap off a much-needed resume-builder for the Orange as postseason play beckons.

“I thought Quadir was phenomenal on both ends and I thought defensively that last possession was huge,” said SU head coach Adrian Autry postgame. “Held his ground, got a stop and that’s what we talked about: getting stops when we need it.”

Copeland didn’t have the best performance against Georgia Tech over the weekend when Syracuse lost, putting it under the 0.500 mark again. He fouled out with under two minutes left and put up nine points. Two assists but also two turnovers and a plethora of instances where he tried to do too much. Errant pull-ups and rushed outside shots. Way too much settling and not enough aggressive inside drives.

His first possession Tuesday drew worrisome similarities. There was a needlessly flashy no-look feed to Maliq Brown which was intercepted and tossed ahead to Horne for a transition basket. A few minutes later, Copeland committed his second turnover of the evening when he went airborne, ran out of real estate, and flung the ball carelessly out of bounds.

But he never lost confidence, nor flashed an inkling of doubt across his usual stone-cold expression. Showtime arrived when he cocked back an angry two-handed flush before crossing up NC State’s Jayden Taylor on the left wing for an easy layup and a 27-21 Syracuse advantage.

On consecutive possessions with around eight minutes remaining in the first half, Copeland filled the lane on a Kyle Cuffe Jr. steal, and did well to fend off Dennis Parker Jr., for a runaway right-handed layup. Then, a showcase of quick hands to pickpocket Michael O’Connell on a handoff attempt to initiate another fast break.

He could’ve just dunked the ball. But it probably wouldn’t be ‘Philly’ enough.

Instead, a double-clutch, behind-the-back hammer rudely rattled the basket, backboard and stanchion. Etched across his face on the jog back was a violent, patented mean mug.

“It was just cooking for me. I was getting out in transition, just getting to the basket, doing what I do,” Copeland said. “I wasn’t even worried about scoring in the beginning…”

And that sentiment doesn’t come as a surprise, not even slightly. Copeland isn’t worried about his point totals, assist numbers or any statistic on any scoresheet. This mindset — one that’s launched the sophomore into Autry’s good graces after seeing minimal action as a freshman at SU — is why he checks in early off the bench and stays during crunch-time situations.

When Copeland doesn’t score, he does everything miscellaneous. Sometimes it’s an intuitive shift in help-defense to block Ben Middlebrooks and a well-timed jump to reject Horne on a lefty drive. Other times, it’s a ferocious box-out — every coach’s dream — to clear out space for another offensive possession before realizing he’s open enough for a comfortable put-back.

When he does try to score, expect creative and dazzling maneuvers, but also, consistency. He averages nearly 10 points and five boards this season, extreme upticks from what was recorded last year. At PNC Arena, he struggled at times but stayed in front of Horne, mercilessly, when it mattered most.

So it was only fitting for Copeland to handle Syracuse’s final offensive possession. Peeling off a Brown screen, he attacked, hesitated, probed, surveyed — made all the right reads — and drew a foul to earn a trip to the charity stripe tied at 83-83.

Two made free throws, then that defensive stop. It’s what he does.

Inquire about the 25-point performance, ask the kid from Philadelphia how he found another gear or what went into such a dazzling display.

And he won’t have a concrete answer because he didn’t keep count. Copeland’s biggest focus was doing anything and everything to help his team win, just like he did growing up so his group of friends could stay on for one more game — and maybe even build up a winning streak — at Kingsessing.

“That’s all I’ve got,” Copeland said when asked about Autry’s “Philly tough” moniker for him postgame. “That’s my ticket.”

Published on February 21, 2024 at 12:56 am

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff