Syracuse shot 29% from the field and 20% from three in the team’s 66-63 win over Iowa last night. Luckily, Rakeem Christmas and Chris McCullough made up for this. The big men went 14/23 from the field combining for 38 points. That’s not going to happen every night. The Orange needs more production from its guards and it starts with the three point shot.
It’s one thing to be in a shooting slump, but SU has not put in three point shots consistently since early February of last season. Syracuse has only managed to hit the 30% mark from downtown just three times in its last 14 games. The team is yet to hit the 30% mark in a game this season.
30% is okay. It’s decent. It’s a number teams should hit just about every night. Three out of 14 doesn’t cut it. It is no wonder SU has a .500 record during this cold shooting stretch. It’s impossible to play at a high level when the three point shots are not falling.
Looking at all of last season, Syracuse as a team finished tied for 214th in Division I basketball with a three-point shooting percentage of 33%. Six of the eight Elite Eight teams last year finished over one hundred places in front of the Orange in that department. Arizona finished 95 places ahead, which leaves Kentucky as the only team to make the final 8 shooting a worse percentage from down town than the Orange.
3-point shooting is certainly not the main reason why all of those teams made it as far as they did last year. 3-point shooting can be the main reason why a team does not make it that far however. If SU does not improve from long range then it will be a struggle for Boehim’s team to even warrant a spot in the 68-team NCAA tournament field, never mind making a serious run in it.
Your move Trevor Cooney.
Posted:  Connor Morrissette 
