A small crevice near the top of the key provided Frank Howard all of the space he needed Wednesday night. Two lefty pound dribbles, pull-up jumper. Righty dribbles around the screen, pull-up jumper. Later, a catch and release from straightaway, behind the arc as the shot clock horn sounded. From nearly the same location he produced the same result.

Howard practically formed a residence at the top of the key, an area he said he will continue to exploit when defenders play under high screens. He found a rhythm in Syracuse’s (5-0) 72-64 victory over Toledo (3-1) inside the Carrier Dome on Wednesday. Not only did he score a career- and game-high 25 points, but he commanded the Syracuse offense and helped Oshae Brissett go off for a career-high of his own, with 17 points.

When sophomore guard Tyus Battle exited the game with an injury with 11:26 remaining, Howard took full control in piloting the Syracuse offense.

“Without his contribution,” SU assistant coach Allen Griffin said, “we would have struggled in this game. He stepped it up big time for us.”

When SU lost its top player in Battle, it was Howard who sparked Syracuse’s resurgence in the second half. The junior, who has yet to meet the expectations on him as a top recruit, has set three career-highs in scoring over the past eight days. The first was last Tuesday against Iona, when he dropped in 15. On Monday against Oakland, he scored 18. Forty-eight hours later, he scored 25 points.

His outing Wednesday lacked the turnovers that plagued him a season ago. His production came from several areas. While he found success at the top of the key, he also drove toward the basket and knocked down one 3-pointer.

The other difference: He was the floor general Syracuse needs, because he did not turn over the ball a single time over all 40 minutes on the court. He also added a team-high four assists.

“When Tyus went out, Frank took the game over,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “He made a couple of big shots right away, got us a cushion.”

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Howard’s performance Wednesday is emblematic of a shift in his play this season. He entered the season saying “I’m the best ever right now.” A year ago he was expected to emerge as the starting point guard, since he had shown flashes as a freshman on SU’s Final Four team. But after a strong start last year, he lost playing team during conference play while graduate transfer John Gillon developed into the starting point guard.

“From his freshman to his sophomore year, he got given the keys. And he wasn’t ready,” redshirt freshman Matthew Moyer said. “Now he is.”

The difference lies in his confidence, both Howard and head coach Jim Boeheim said. He has hardly hesitated at the top of the key. He has not wavered when given space to shoot. He has attacked with the intention of scoring or getting fouled, which collapses the defense and sets up others. He went a perfect 6-for-6 from the line against the Rockets.

On nights like Wednesday, Howard has been a threat both from about 17 feet out and in the lane. But Howard is still finding the balance between playing fast and being aggressive with minimizing turnovers. He is still finding himself from deep, as he shot only 1-for-5 from behind the 3-point line.

Howard said he thinks guards shorter than him will probably continue to play under screens. Because Howard is 6-foot-5, that would mean most guards. He said he thinks he could get shots off of high screens all season long.

“I just want to continue working on that and hope I can knock it down,” Howard said.

He is well aware that he started off last season well, then lost the starting job to Gillon, partially due to a nagging injury. He knows teams will give him different defensive looks come conference play. He knows stiffer competition is on its way, starting with a 5-0 Maryland team Monday night. He has yet to face full-court pressure, either. But against Toledo, he appeared unfazed in representing the floor general Syracuse needs at the top of its offense.

“He gives me confidence to go score,” freshman forward Oshae Brissett said. “We just have to follow his lead.”

Published on November 22, 2017 at 11:16 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21