Syracuse Basketball Needs To Find Its Identity Before It's Too Late
If the Syracuse basketball team doesn’t figure out their identity quickly, it could result in dire consequences. Neil Adler has the scoop.
The Syracuse basketball squad fell victim to its second-straight blowout loss, getting decimated on Tuesday night by a disciplined and extremely experienced Wisconsin Badgers program.
The 77-60 defeat, in and of itself, is not overly alarming. The Orange, in its first true road game of the season, went into a hostile environment and played before a raucous crowd as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Wisconsin returned all five starters, and virtually all its scoring, from a year ago. SU, meanwhile, has five new faces – encompassing more than half of its current rotation.
That’s the recipe for a tough outing. Following the loss, Syracuse fans in chat rooms and on message boards declared that ‘Cuse is headed for disaster in the 2016-17 campaign. Some of the highlights (or lowlights, really):
- The defense is horrible, the offense is awful, and the team can’t shoot a lick.
- Sophomore Tyler Lydon is terrible.
- Senior Tyler Roberson is non-existent.
- Graduate transfer John Gillon, sophomore Frank Howard and freshman Tyus Battle are over-rated.
- Head coach Jim Boeheim can’t, well, coach.
Wait a minute. Hold on just a second.
No. 22 Syracuse has a 4-2 mark after six contests. Its setbacks are to No. 17 Wisconsin – on the road – and to undefeated South Carolina (now ranked No. 20) in a “neutral-site” affair.
South Carolina destroyed a ranked Michigan team a few days before flexing its muscles against
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SU. And Wisconsin, which has reached two Final Fours and the Sweet 16 in the past three NCAA Tournaments, has losses to No. 3 North Carolina, perhaps the best program in the country right now (other than Kentucky), and No. 10 Creighton.
So, maybe we can grab some perspective, and chill out a tad.
I think CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein hit the nail on the head, when he said via Twitter: “Syracuse fans: Relax. Five of this team’s nine rotation players weren’t a part of last year’s run to the Final Four. It’s a long season.”
He’s right. It’s early, gang. However, I think we can all agree that our beloved Orange is struggling in several areas, but one in particular: it lacks an identity.
The guys need to come together. They need to gel as one cohesive unit. The trademark 2-3 zone is vulnerable. Boeheim admitted that much in his post-game news conference. Both in the backcourt and in the frontcourt, players are missing rotations, they are caught out of position, and they aren’t hitting the defensive boards well.
Wisconsin, with its crisp and quick passing, exposed that to a tee. The Badgers had not shot well from 3-point land prior to their match-up with Syracuse.
But, against SU, they had wide-open looks from downtown, time and time again. And they connected on 11 3-point attempts, at a 48-percent clip. That’s a recipe for dissecting the zone.
Similar to when Wisconsin escaped with an overtime victory in the Carrier Dome last year, the Badgers again dominated on the glass. On Tuesday night, they held a 40-25 rebounding advantage. Too many second-chance opportunities for them.
Plus, a supposed Syracuse strength this season is getting out in transition, and SU can’t do that when they fail to secure boards. South Carolina also crushed the Orange in this critical category.
We also have to share the ball much better. Point guards Gillon and Howard shined for the most part in ‘Cuse’s first few contests, but they have since struggled.
All in all, Wisconsin had 21 assists on 29 field goals, while Syracuse managed only nine dimes on 21 made baskets. That’s a bit concerning. Gillon and Howard have to step it up a notch, but so do their teammates.
After shooting lights-out over their four initial games, the Orange has gone cold, and that helps explain why SU’s assist numbers are fairly pedestrian.
Against a solid Wisconsin defense, Syracuse hit on 38 percent of its field goals, and merely 26 percent from 3-point range, including six from downtown (the same total versus USC). ‘Cuse has to make more 3-point buckets to prosper.
Ironically, the Orange shot 12-of-13 from the free-throw line, which is usually not one of Syracuse’s strong suits.
Nov 26, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Jim Boeheim looks on against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational at Barclays Center. South Carolina won, 64-50. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
My biggest question is, who is the leader of this squad?
Graduate transfer Andrew White III led SU in scoring against Wisconsin, but all of his 14 points came before intermission. This is not the first time he has disappeared after half-time.
Lydon, who came into this year’s campaign with such high expectations, had a nice performance (18 points) last time out. But on Tuesday night, he scored nine points, including 1-of-6 from 3-point land. He seems a bit inconsistent so far this year. Personally, I’d like to see more of an inside game from him, rather than mainly chucking up shots from the perimeter.
Roberson, a rebounding machine on many occasions, has to get his mojo back. He did not score versus Wisconsin, and grabbed just two boards. His stat line versus South Carolina, unfortunately, proved similar. We need him plugged-in. And fast.
One player to get commended for his game against Wisconsin is senior Dajuan Coleman. He scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including several baskets around the rim. If he can maintain performances like this, particularly as Syracuse heads into ACC competition, that will amount to a valuable asset for Boeheim.
Both Gillon and Howard are promising, and we have to exercise some patience with both of them. Gillon is new to the SU system, and Howard is the starting point guard after not playing a ton of minutes last year.
If they can both begin to better penetrate on offense, thereby helping to get other guys more involved, while limiting their turnovers, that will prove key.
As for Battle and fellow freshman Taurean Thompson, I think they need more time to settle in. They are feeling things out a bit, and trying to determine what their roles on this squad are.
They have shown flashes of brilliance. Their minutes are somewhat limited. I’m confident both will only get better as the season carries on.
Sophomore Paschal Chukwu is a work in progress. The 7-2 center simply looks lost out there, on both offense and defense. Boeheim doesn’t appear to have much confidence in him at this point.
If, when he is on the court, Chukwu can hold down the fort on defense, stay in position, block a few shots, rebound effectively, and perhaps make a basket or two, that’s a win in my book.
I recognize that Syracuse has disappointed during this two-game losing streak. SU fans are frustrated, and perhaps a little nervous. I get it.
But with so many new pieces, Boeheim and his staff are urging caution, as they try to figure out how the puzzle will ultimately look.
There are so many games left. If the Syracuse basketball team can iron out some kinks, and capture a consistent identity to latch on to for the remainder of the season, the outlook is still positive.
Hopefully, the Orange gets back on track in its next outing, when it hosts North Florida on Saturday, Dec. 3. Looming after that are clashes with UConn, Georgetown and others before conference play commences.
I say that the time to support your squad – and not trash it – is now.
‘Cuse Nation, let’s have some faith.
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