NEW YORK — With a flick of the wrist, Chris McCullough gave a quick tease to just how versatile he can be.

Four minutes into Syracuse’s matchup with California, the freshman saw space in front of him, pulled the trigger on his first career 3-pointer and nailed it.

But his weaknesses were also on display, losing the ball twice around the rim as he attacked the basket — the second of which led to California guard Jabari Bird dunking easily on the break and SU head coach Jim Boeheim folding his arms and calling timeout as the Golden Bears pulled away in the second half.

While McCullough’s offensive game was efficient and he defended the rim well with five blocks on the night, the freshman didn’t match up well physically during the No. 23 Orange’s (2-1) 73-59 loss to the Golden Bears (3-0) in Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.

“Chris has some really good basketball skills, but his stamina and physicality — that only comes over time,” Boeheim said. “He’s a smart player, he knows what he’s doing, he understands the game, but he’s not physical enough for the college game right now. And his stamina is not as good as it needs to be.”

In addition to showing reliability on the defensive end as a rim protector, McCullough’s offense — 5-for-8 shooting and 12 points — was economical compared to how he performed in SU’s exhibition against Adrian and the season opener against Kennesaw State.

McCullough accounted for six of SU’s first eight points Thursday night, swishing the 3 and then getting a basket in the paint after a free throw. In the second half, he added a dunk off a pass from point guard Kaleb Joseph.

But ultimately, Syracuse’s offense as a whole fell flat with Christmas relegated to just 23 minutes.

“I think Chris is another guy who can score, but … he gets pushed around a little bit. That’s to be expected,” Boeheim said. “Really, we have got to find some scoring in other places.”

Against Adrian on Nov. 10, a Division III team with no players taller than 6 feet, 5 inches, the 6-foot-10 McCullough finished 2-of-11 from the field despite grabbing nine offensive rebounds.

SU’s success on the offensive glass stood out and caught the Golden Bears’ eyes while watching tape, Bird said. The Orange had pulled down 36 offensive rebounds through its first two games, but grabbed just 13 in its third as it scrapped with a team of similar size.

In 38 minutes against the Golden Bears, McCullough collected just three offensive boards. He cleaned up a Tyler Roberson air ball with a layup, and a misfired Trevor Cooney 3 bounced long and he drove to the basket and flipped it in.

“That was the bulk of their offense,” Bird said of SU’s offensive rebounds. “We just decided to keep them off the glass and make them make tough shots all game, we’ll have a chance to win.”

As Christmas’ early foul troubles persist, McCullough showed promise as a rim protector.

Within a minute of Christmas fouling out with 6:23 left in the game, McCullough deflected a dunk attempt by California forward David Kravish in transition, then rejected another fastbreak attempt at the rim a possession later.

When Boeheim’s discussed Christmas’ unhurried development as a big man, he’s pointed to the fact that big men generally take longer to improve than guards and small forwards.

He expects McCullough to progress at the same rate.

“Nobody wants to hear it, but it takes time,” Boeheim said. “Hakim Warrick was like that and even a little bit thinner when he was a freshman. He struggled the whole freshman year really into his sophomore year, but it does take time.”

Published on November 21, 2014 at 2:36 am

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb