Syracuse’s battle against UConn was ugly, and while not everything went smoothly against North Florida, it would be better to harken back to that game. The shooting was terrible last night, the offense clunky, and the frustration at a boiling point. SU has failed to score more than 60 points in their last three losses. So erase those from the chalk board and let’s look at the good and the bad, as a teaching tool,¬†against UNF:¬†
Worst: Scoring in the Paint
Syracuse fans cringed as they watched the Orange repeatedly fail to get the ball in the net while right under it. This has become a signature on the young season. SU missed nine layups throughout the game and failed to get all but one of the rebounds. Syracuse only scored 12 points in the paint against UNF, reflecting the same struggle they had against South Carolina.
With an extra 18 points had it made the nine missed layups, the Orange would have been relieved of some of the stress they faced toward the end of the game when the Ospreys came back from 24 points behind to within six points by the game’s end.
Best: Three Point Field Goal Percentage
Syracuse’s three point field goal percentage saved the team an embarrassing loss. SU made 13 of 24 attempted three point shots for a .542 three point field goal percentage, much higher than their .408 percentage on the season entering the game.
More than half of the Orange‚Äôs points came from threes. Had they shot their normal percentage from long range, Syracuse would’ve been the¬†team attempting the comeback.¬†Instead, the Oranges shots wrote a different story that ended in its favor.
This has become a more difficult than expected stretch for SU, losing three of the last four. While it’s only Northern Florida, at least there are positives. Before BU and Georgetown the next two Saturdays, the Orange need to forget about the UConn game and focus on how to get its offense going.
