Syracuse Basketball: Can the Orange return to the Final Four?
Mar 27, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Jim Boeheim cuts down the net after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers in the championship game of the midwest regional of the NCAA Tournament at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
What three burning questions does Syracuse basketball need to answer to finish in the top-four of the ACC standings?
Despite finishing 10th in the ACC standings and only .500 in conference play, the Syracuse Orange unexpectedly reached the Final Four. In fact, there were some projections that had the Orange missing the field of 68 entirely and earning a berth in the NIT.
Instead, Malachi Richardson got scorching hot, Michael Gbinije was terrific, Trevor Cooney shot the lights out and Tyler Roberson ate up the glass. Boeheim’s team rolled by Dayton, crushed upset minded Middle State Tennessee, squeaked past Gonzaga and stormed back in the second half to beat Virginia in the Elite Eight.
The Orange lost in the Final Four to North Carolina, but it was a remarkable run for a team that lost to the worst team in the Big East, St. John’s, at Madison Square Garden months earlier.
Boeheim and company lost Richardson, Gbinije and Cooney, however, the 2016-17 roster looks like a more complete team on paper. The Orange have more depth, more size and more shooting, and should be awfully tough to crack defensively.
They return versatile forward Tyler Lydon (who is expected to be the team’s best player), fierce rebounder Roberson, big man DaJuan Coleman and point guard Franklin Howard.
While the returnees are all talented and will play large roles this season, the Orange won’t do any damage on a national scale without their newcomers.
Nebraska transfer Andrew White is the most important player of the bunch, as his shooting ability and experience should help make up for the loss of Richardson. But the Orange also have 7’2″ Providence transfer Paschal Chukwu, Colorado State graduate transfer point guard John Gillon, four-star wing Tyus Battle, four-star power forward Matthew Moyer and four-star big Taurean Thompson joining the roster.
With the increased competition around the nation, Syracuse is certainly not a lock to make the Final Four. However, they are almost assuredly going to reach the NCAA Tournament and will likely have a spot in the top-five in the ACC standings, especially if they can answer three burning questions.
Mar 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Dyshawn Pierre (21) works to break through the defense of Syracuse Orange center DaJuan Coleman (32) during the first half of the first round in the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
3. How good are the Orange defensively?
Syracuse will be a very solid offensive unit, however, there are no such issues on the defensive end of the floor. The Orange should be one of the most potent teams in the ACC on defense, utilizing their size, length and quick hands.
We all know by now that Jim Boeheim runs his trademark 2-3 zone defense, but this year it will be on another level. Just think about trying to crack a zone that features Franklin Howard (if he indeed starts) and Andrew White on the top, with Tyler Lydon, Tyler Roberson and Paschal Chukwu down low.
Howard has long arms. White possesses good physical tools. Lydon blocked 1.8 shots per game last season. Roberson will consistently close out possessions with defensive rebounds. And Chukwu stands well over seven-feet with the ability to adjust/block shots around the rim.
The Orange can also bring reliable defender and rebounder, DaJuan Coleman, off the bench, along with long, active, athletic forward Matthew Moyer and the strong Taurean Thompson.
Teams are going to have to shoot the lights out from the perimeter and will have to possess quick guards in order to beat the Orange. Opposing teams aren’t going to get a lot of points in the paint and it will be especially tough to make comebacks against ‘Cuse.
So to answer the question, the Orange are elite on defense. And that certainly isn’t going to change any time soon.
Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Malachi Richardson (23) picks up a loose ball against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Nate Britt (0) during the first half in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Division I Championship semi-final game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
2. Can Richardson, Gbinije, Cooney be replaced?
The production of Malachi Richardson, Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney will be awfully tough to make up in 2016-17. But even more importantly is the loss of leadership.
Gbinije played three seasons at Syracuse and was 23 years old at this time a year ago, while Cooney played four years in upstate New York, averaging 30-plus minutes per game. Richardson wasn’t as powerful of a leader in the locker room as Gbinije and Cooney, but he was the team’s best player in the NCAA Tournament. If the Orange needed a bucket, the go-to player was Richardson.
The other problem is that the Orange are losing a lot of shot creation. Gbinije is a terrific ball handler who can make plays at all three levels and Richardson is excellent at finding open looks off the bounce.
In 2016-17, it’s going to be up to Andrew White, Tyus Battle and Tyler Lydon to help make up for the lost production.
White averaged 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and shot 48 percent from the field last season with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He can shoot it from the perimeter, drill mid-range jumpers and finish amongst the big men at the rim. He’s not as smooth of a ball handler as Gbinije was, but he has enough flexibility and versatility to play numerous positions.
Battle is probably the most intriguing player on the roster, as he has a shot to push for a spot in the starting lineup later in the season. The 6’6″ New Jersey native can play the two or three positions, can guard all along the perimeter on defense and is a born scorer. Battle is consistent, can hit shots from all over the floor and has an effective pull-up game.
He could mold into a Richardson-type-of-player by the end of the season, as he is ranked 35th in the class of 2016 after all.
Finally, Lydon is a potential First Team All-ACC player. He is likely to be Syracuse’s best player due to his ability to stretch the floor, score in the paint, block shots, handle the basketball and attack the basket. Lydon has NBA potential and will be a first round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft if the projections hold true to form.
He doesn’t have a similar skill set to Richardson, Gbinije or Cooney, but he can make up for the lost production in multiple different ways.
The Orange will have to adjust leadership wise. However, White, Battle and Lydon could be stars in 2016-17.
Apr 1, 2016; Houston , TX, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Franklin Howard (1) shoots during practice day prior to the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
1. Who’s going to play point guard?
The other way to make up for the loss of Michael Gbinije is to find some consistency at the point guard position. Gbinije valued ball security and was always able to score in double figures, even on off nights (he didn’t finish a single game last year with less than 10 points).
The Orange have two options at the point guard position this year: Sophomore Franklin Howard and graduate transfer John Gillon.
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They will likely duke it out for the starting slot at the beginning of the season, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the two players split minutes for the majority of the year.
While Howard has more experience in Syracuse’s system, he only played 10.5 minutes a game in 2015-16. He averaged just 1.6 points, 1.8 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game, and often had mental freshman mistakes.
Howard has the wingspan, speed and quickness to be a force, and Jim Boeheim has been raving about his performance in workouts this off-season.
Gillon on the other hand has three years of college basketball under his belt (one year at Arkansas-Little Rock and two years at Colorado State). He struggles to shoot from the perimeter, but he’s a solid distributor and scorer.
Last year with the Rams, Gillon averaged 13.2 points, 3.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds. He shot 38 percent overall, 33 percent from beyond the arc and 88 percent from the free throw line. If he can cut down his turnovers more (2.3 a game), Gillon could be the starter based upon his experience at the Division I level.
None of these two players are in the same ballpark as Gbinije was last season, but Howard could take a jump in year two and Gillon could be even better than the projections call for. It’s up in the air at this point.
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