Syracuse Men’s Basketball has already had plenty of excitement this week off the court. But there is actual basketball to be played, as well.
Syracuse looks for its second straight 3-0 start today when it hosts Youngstown State for the first time in program history. It’s been an interesting start to the year, as SU owns six- and two-point wins over Le Moyne and Colgate, respectively.
Against the Penguins, it’s a chance to start anew. Here are three things to watch for:
- Chris Bell needs to play good…both halves
Chris Bell is Syracuse’s best returner and during the second half of the Colgate game, he looked the part. The junior had 14 second-half points and had a key run for the Orange during the middle of the half. It was similar to Bell’s 16-point second-half outbreak against Le Moyne.
30 points in the second halves this season is not bad at all. The only issue? Bell has a combined four points in the first 20 minutes of games.
While lines like that may work against non-conference foes, when SU enters the ACC gauntlet, it’ll need a full 40 minutes from Bell.
While Syracuse is 2-0, it’s a pretty clear consensus that Syracuse has plenty of room for improvement. So why not play your elite freshman?
Donnie Freeman and Elijah Moore were both elite high school prospects and have shown flashes in the first two games. But in the win over Colgate, neither player had 20 minutes of playing time.
Some change is needed with this team, and with Youngstown State being a rare non-power five opponent, experiment with the young guys.
Syracuse is playing at a much faster pace of play in 2024, and Head Coach Adrian Autry will let people know that.
But that doesn’t excuse a -20 point differential in transition that Syracuse had against Colgate this week. One of the earliest fundamentals taught in basketball is getting back on defense. Is that an oversimplification? Yes. But reducing that margin is key tomorrow for the Orange.
