Syracuse (16-8, 6-5 Atlantic Coast) is in the middle of a nine-day stretch without a game. The Orange returns to action against Florida State (16-7, 6-5) on Thursday at home. In the meantime, beat writers Sam Blum, Jesse Dougherty and Matt Schneidman discuss three questions surrounding SU.

1. Does Syracuse need to beat Florida State for this four-game home stretch to be considered a success?

Sam Blum: Absolutely. If you asked me when it started, I would have said 3-1 would be good enough. But now that the heavy lifting — three games in five days — is over with, beating Florida State at home is a must. The Orange needs to beat every beatable team it can, especially ones that sit squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble with SU. The Orange is also trying to avoid playing on the first day of the ACC tournament, and the Seminoles are tied with Syracuse in the conference standings. There’s a lot on the line on Thursday night, and a feel-good 4-0 home stretch is tops among all of it.

Jesse Dougherty: No, Syracuse won three ACC games in five days and I think that makes this a successful home stand regardless of what happens against the Seminoles on Thursday. With that said, that is a game the Orange should win and it would be disappointing if it doesn’t. FSU has a talented backcourt and is big inside, but SU has proven itself a much more consistent team on both ends and can’t afford another home loss to an unranked ACC team.

Matt Schneidman: This four-game home stretch is already a success even if Syracuse loses to a Florida State team top-heavy with Malik Beasley and Dwayne Bacon, two of the top scorers in the Atlantic Coast Conference. A 3-1 mark isn’t bad by any means, especially with a win against Notre Dame, who will likely jump back into the Top 25 with a Saturday win against No. 2 North Carolina. Syracuse has proven to win games it probably shouldn’t (Virginia Tech) and pull out wins against good teams when it only makes six 3-pointers (Georgia Tech). This home stretch, even with a loss against the Seminoles, would be a measuring stick for the Orange and one that certainly passes the litmus test as SU heads into the home stretch of ACC play.

2. Syracuse is 12-1 when it holds opponents under 40 percent from the field, and the Orange has been able to do so lately. What about SU’s defense has it clicking right now?

S.B.: Jim Boeheim says it all the time, but it’s still something that’s lost on people. The zone itself doesn’t make for a great defense, it’s the players executing in it. When SU beat Georgia Tech, that was partially because the Orange was smart enough to extend the zone to prevent the Yellow Jackets from connecting from the outside. When SU went on a 23-1 run against Notre Dame, Boeheim credited his seniors, Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije, for a strong defense that made it possible. Going up against big men with ability has been the greatest weakness, but recently it hasn’t hurt the Orange too much.

J.D.: There’s no one answer to this, but the Syracuse defense has been doing the “important things” right every game. Against Notre Dame on Jan. 28, the Orange actively defended passing lanes and forced the Fighting Irish to match its season average with nine first-half turnovers. Against Georgia Tech, SU’s bigs moved the Yellow Jackets’ post scorers off the block and forced critical turnovers down the stretch. Against Virginia Tech, Syracuse took away the short corner in the second half and the Hokies shot 2-for-13 from 3 in the second half and overtime. These are all different scenarios that, in a way, encompass all six players in the Orange rotation. With that said, the improvement of the defense has been a team-wide effort and not contingent on any one thing or another.

M.S.: From the naked eye, Syracuse is playing a lot better at the top of the zone. Gbinije and Cooney are rarely letting the ball split them and in turn, that prevents any opponent from slicing into the most vulnerable spot in the zone (the high post). The Orange has forced teams to swing the ball around the key before feeding it into the paint, which is inevitable when Tyler Lydon plays center, but even he is gradually improving as a post defender. That, on top of SU’s ability to make it take longer for the ball to get into the low post, is the reason why Syracuse has been clicking on the defensive end as of late.

 

 

3. How much does Louisville’s postseason ban actually affect Syracuse?

S.B.: Well, for one, it might open up another NCAA Tournament spot, something that always matters when you’re on the bubble. It might change the dynamic of SU’s game at the U of L on Feb. 17, a game that will have major postseason implications for Syracuse. The Orange is a team that is getting past all of the drama surrounding its self-imposed ban and subsequent sanctions, and the Cardinals are a team just digging into it. Syracuse is not far removed from being in Louisville’s position. But that really doesn’t matter. For Syracuse, getting wins and staying on the better end of the bubble is all that matters.

J.D.: It pains me to view this in any other regard other than the Louisville brass screwing its players with a very clear-cut business decision — and that it’s a growing trend in college basketball for teams to do so — but it does help Syracuse. For starters, it makes me think that a win at Louisville on Feb. 17 is much more likely, and from a very technical standpoint there is now one more “ACC spot” in the NCAA Tournament field. But whether the Orange gets one of those spots is still very much up to whether it beats teams it’s supposed to from here on forward, even if the Cardinals’ troubling administrative decision does make a tournament berth slightly more attainable.

M.S.: It may not be that sizable, but if Syracuse is narrowly on the bubble, Louisville’s absence from the postseason will be a boost for Jim Boeheim and co. For one, it’s one less team in the ACC tournament and one that is a serious threat to win it at that. The Cardinals were fresh off a win against UNC which was, at the time, the only loss the Tar Heels had suffered in conference play. But where it could help the Orange more is in the NCAA Tournament. Louisville is a team that would be a lock for the 68-team field. Now, an SU team teetering on Joe Lunardi’s Last Four In line has one more spot to squeak in, if need be, come mid-March.

Published on February 7, 2016 at 8:08 pm