Before I get all giddy about the Syracuse basketball team, I should preface this with: we’ve only played two exhibition games against Division II opponents. Ok good, I got that out of the way because now I can say how much I love this year’s team already!
Yesterday, Syracuse played their second exhibition game of the season against Florida Southern, and to say they were hitting on all cylinders is an incredibly understated idiom. For the game, they hit 14 of 29 three-pointers. Not including the three point attempt in garbage time by a walk-on, they made 50% of their threes.
First off, there wasn’t a single game last year where Syracuse made 14 three-pointers. Second, there wasn’t a single game where Syracuse hit 50% of the three pointers they attempted. Their best game of last season was just over 40%. In fact, out of the 351 D-1 teams, Syracuse was tied for 327th in three point percentage last year at 30.1%.
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So far in two exhibition games they are hitting just a hair under 43%. The scariest part is, that’s with Cooney still only hitting 2 out of 10 from downtown.
So please forgive me if I’m a bit optimistic, but after the horrendous shooting of last year’s team, it is refreshing to see a group of shooters who are all confident and can knock down the open shots.
In yesterday’s game, six different Syracuse basketball players hit at least one three pointer. Five hit at least two. If that’s not balance from outside, I don’t know what is.
The most surprising of the bunch is Kaleb Joseph. After hitting two in the opening exhibition game against LeMoyne, he came out firing again and drained three more. He showed off a confidence that was so sorely lacking last year. He also showed that he has clearly put in a ton of time over the summer working on his shot. It’s certainly paying off.
Feb 24, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Kaleb Joseph (14) dribbles as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Photo Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Joseph looks like a completely different player. He’s more decisive with the ball, he’s keeping his head up and looking for open players, and he’s even playing better defense. If he can continue to play like this against better competition, Syracuse is going to have one of the deepest back courts in the country with legit scoring options from four different players.
The other big surprise has been the play of freshman Malachi Richardson. I knew he was good, but I had no idea he would be this good, this early. It might have been against D-2 opponents, but some of the stuff he was doing would have beaten anyone in the country.
His court vision is the most surprising thing to me. In high school he wasn’t really known as much of a passer. He was usually relied on to carry the scoring load. Even though he led SU yesterday in scoring with 18, he also showed off some impressive passing skills. He made a beautiful no-look pass for an assist in the first half. He found a wide open Tyler Lydon for a three as well.
His overall game was really a joy to watch for the second consecutive game. He’s also no slouch from outside, as he nailed a team-high four three-pointers. He also managed a solid six rebounds and continues to prove how athletic and aggressive he is.
Malachi is going to be even better than I expected. I highly doubt he’ll be able to score as freely against ACC opponents as he has thus far, but his skills will still get him lots of opportunities to put points up. I know it’s early, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up as a one-and-done. I sincerely hope not as he’s an excellent talent, but he just looks far more prepared than I thought he would.
I think the most impressive part of these first two games has been the balance. Four players scored in double figures against LeMoyne. Six players did it against Florida Southern. That balance is going to be incredibly hard for opponents to stop. You might be able to shut down one, two, or even three options, but if they’ve still got several other guys who can step up and have big games, it will be hard for many teams to keep up offensively.
Syracuse kicks off the regular season this Friday against Lehigh at 7 pm. Check back this week for a preview of the game and more analysis of Syracuse basketball and football.