Through three games this season, the Orange are undefeated 3-0. Yet, none of SU’s wins have been convincing by any stretch of the mean. Syracuse’s largest margin of victory this season has been nine points, which might sound good. Yet, all three of those contests have been against bottom-of-the-barrel non-conference opponents. Le Moyne, Colgate, and Youngstown State all are ranked 180th or higher for Kenpom in the nation. Given that, these three wins should’ve been stress-free momentum builders for SU, instead, they’ve brought a feeling of worry to the hill.
The biggest concern for Syracuse through three games has been defense. The Orange have let up at least 72 points per game this season. The overarching theme for SU is that the defense should be closing out games, instead of giving opposing squads a chance to win. A few examples of this were when Syracuse allowed Le Moyne to pull within one with under two minutes in the opener, Colgate tied the game at 72 with 90 seconds left and blew an eight-point lead in overtime to Youngstown State. The Orange simply need more defense in the frontcourt and backcourt, although it would help if there was more diversified scoring on offense.
SU’s three-point shooting in its first three games has been bad, to say the least. In the Orange’s most recent game against the Penguins, the team shot 5-22 from behind the arc. Headed into halftime Syracuse was shooting 7% from three-point land. As a team this year, Syracuse is shooting just over 25% from three. That’s simply not good enough. Forward Chris Bell went a mere 1-8 against Youngstown State. Given that, the Orange must look to different options on the floor to convert from three. A player like guard Elijah Moore fits the three-point role perfectly for the Orange. The Bronx native is a pure deadeye shooter and came in clutch from three-point land against the Penguins in the double overtime guiding the Orange to victory.
So, while the three-point shooting and defense might be a concern right now for SU, it’s not time to hit the panic button. This team is a brand new squad that’s barely played together yet. The biggest test for the Orange is tonight against Texas. Through the first three games, Syracuse has played down to its competition. Against the Longhorns, it’ll be a true test of whether the Orange are a team that simply plays to its opponent’s level or if there’s bigger changes that need to be made.
