Syracuse basketball has irreversible schematic problems with its defense.
This defense is worse than it’s been in my entire lifetime of watching the Orange play basketball. Transition defense has been bad, closeouts have been bad, rotations have been bad, and players aren’t even putting their hands up to pressure a shooter at times.
Syracuse let up 86 points in regulation to Youngstown State. Syracuse let up over 70 points to both Le Moyne and Colgate.
The Orange have allowed 83 points per game, which ranks 331st out of 355 teams. It’s also the worst mark by any power five team in the country.
The defense is atrocious, and now, there’s only one solution. Syracuse needs to run the 2-3 zone
Let me say it again: Syracuse needs to run the 2-3 zone.
Unfortunately, the backcourt players haven’t proven to be talented enough defensively to play man-to-man in college basketball in 2024. They are getting beat over and over again. Jaquan Carlos and JJ Starling are getting beat time and time again and the rotations in the frontcourt are not good enough.
The only solution is to go back to where Adrian Autry’s mentor, Jim Boeheim, has guided him. Run the 2-3 zone. Then, you finally finally have an opportunity to get some stops. The zone puts the forwards in a more natural position to help guards. Rebounding is usually a concern, but SU’s 47 boards per game are top-10 in the country. Sacrificing some rebounds is worth the better help defense that the zone provides.
If Syracuse does not switch to a 2-3 zone this year, it could have, and likely will have, the worst scoring defense in the ACC. The only way to avoid catastrophe is to return to the programs roots. It might be archaic, but it’s the Orange’s best path forward.
