A massive arctic storm is sweeping across the United States, and the cold is feeling particularly severe as the Syracuse Orange lost another game Saturday following an 85-76 loss to the Miami Hurricanes.
The Orange trailed the Canes for more than 95 percent of the game. The Orange were able to tie the game within striking distance at multiple points, but Miami’s offense was generally a downpour that proved difficult to overcome. Syracuse is currently riding a three-game losing streak heading into its next game.
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Here are four takeaways from Syracuse’s failure:
Inconsistency proves to be a killer again
Specifically, there are two key links that are really crucial.
The first one came at the end of the first half. Miami is off to a strong start. The U’s led 9-0, and Syracuse was 0/4 after scoring almost zero points and committing two turnovers in the first 4 minutes and 6 possessions of the game. As the half progressed, Kuss got back into the game and once tied the score to 27-27. Back then, Syracuse couldn’t get anything at all due to the college cold. The defense is rock solid, but the offense is not.
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The trend then reversed in the second half of the year. The Orange shot the ball very efficiently. For a while, the game was once again tied. The team shot over 53% in the final 20 minutes of the game. However, Miami kept the momentum going, pushing the pace when necessary and relentlessly attacking Kuss’ defense. Made 18 of 28 shots in the second half.
Arguably the most eye-popping stat set of the day: Syracuse committed 10 fewer turnovers than Team USA (16-6), scored more points off turnovers than the Canes 17-4, and rebounded just three offensive rebounds (8-5), but still lost nine.
The 2-3 zone is the decisive x factor
It’s a plan every team takes at some point, and it does change momentum at times.
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After getting into trouble early, the Orange took the lead and went 2-3, which allowed them to cool down Miami’s offense. Syracuse then stuck with this tactic for the vast majority of the game, only briefly switching back to a man-based approach.
It’s not so easy to say it worked all the time: Miami shot over 61 percent from the field all game, and was really in contention late in the second half when the Orange desperately needed a string of stops. That also led to some rotation changes, with Donnie Freeman at center and Sadiq White Jr. getting an extra shot late in the half (notably guard Tre Donaldson). The U adjusted by going with a frontcourt tandem of Malik Reneau and Ernest Udeh Jr.
U also went to the area and it was generally effective. Freeman and some of Syracuse’s guards occasionally excelled in the two-point area, but the Orange shot 6/21 from three (less than 29 percent). Consider again Syracuse’s scoring advantage on Miami’s turnovers.
Defensive performance continues to decline
Syracuse started the year with the best defensive metrics in the country. Even as the competition intensified and ACC play began, it still managed to stay relatively high.
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But now, it’s very troublesome.
After Kuss held Clemson to under 65 points, it has now held three of its past four opponents to at least 80 points. Miami does that with a balanced offense. Reneau scored 20 points on 8/12 shooting, but Donaldson and Sheldon Henderson scored 16 points each, plus Tru Washington’s 14 points.
There’s no doubt that the inability to stop opponents from scoring has been a common theme lately. Boston College had four players score in double figures. The same goes for Virginia Tech and Florida State.
Remember: The Orange still have a great offense with Duke, UNC, Virginia and Louisville still on the roster.
