Syracuse Basketball: Battle 4 Atlantis Game 1, Charlotte

The Syracuse basketball team will get underway in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Wednesday at 2:30 pm against Charlotte.

Welcome to the Bahamas!

It might be blustery and cold in Syracuse, but temperature at game time on Paradise Island should be a balmy 80 degrees. Not that it matters since the tournament will be indoors, but it makes me feel better envisioning a warm beach than the dreary grey skies in Syracuse.

Syracuse opens the tournament with a game against the Charlotte 49ers of Conference USA. Charlotte is currently 1-2 on the season, beating Furman in their last game 77-68 after losing their first two. One of those first two was a game against Elon where they lost by 20 points. Syracuse defeated Elon by 11 on Saturday.

Although their record might not show it, Charlotte is a solid mid-major that looks to be competitive in Conference USA this year. They have an extremely balanced scoring attack, with six players averaging seven points or more. Although they don’t have one standout superstar, they are being led in the early season by freshman guard Andrien White.

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White is averaging over 14 points and 5 rebounds a game while shooting 51% from the field and over 41% from 3-point range. He’s also averaging 3 steals per game, and just came off of a double double against Furman where he had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Aside from White, Braxton Ogbueze and Bernard Sullivan are their next best scoring options. They are both averaging over 11 points per game. Braxton is also shooting 50% from 3-point range and drained 5 of 9 against ECU. Sullivan is also the team’s second leading rebounder at 6.5 per game.

Anthony Van Hook has been having a nice season for the 49ers as well, scoring just under 9 points a game and leading the team in rebounds and assists per game. At only 6’4, he’s a very athletic, if undersized, forward that can get to the rim and elevate for dunks or big rebounds.

As a team, Charlotte is pretty small. They have a 6’10 center, Sullivan is 6’8, and then their next tallest player is Van Hook at 6’4. Could this mean we will see more “small ball” out of Syracuse? SU has gone to a three and even four guard lineup so far in it’s first three games in order to stick with the small, fast teams we’ve faced. We might see some more of this against Charlotte.

Another key to the game to watch for will be Charlotte’s 3-point shooting. As a team they are only shooting 35% from three, but individually they have three players who are shooting 40% or better. Two of those three are freshman, but Braxton Obgueze shot 40% last year from 3, so he will be an important shooter to watch on the perimeter.

This game will hopefully give Syracuse the opportunity to spread out the minutes more. After three games that were all closer than anyone would have liked, Syracuse will look to pull away early and get some valuable playing time for guys like Dajuan Coleman, Kaleb Joseph, Frank Howard, and Chino Obokoh.

Although I don’t really see this game as being a big test for the Orange, that’s not to say it couldn’t end up being one. I certainly wasn’t expecting Elon or St. Bonaventure to hang with us, but both teams did.

Next: Battle 4 Atlantis: Everything You Need to Know

It’s also important to note that Charlotte is coached by Mark Price, a former NBA All-Star who played 12 years in the league. Price is in his first year with the 49ers, and nothing would kick start his coaching career more than a big victory over Syracuse. I expect the team to be well-prepared and to come out swinging.

Hopefully Syracuse will weather the early onslaught and be able to take command. They have the talent to be a great team this year, they just need to learn to work together and be better as a team both offensively and defensively. The Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament is the perfect opportunity to work on that. Although Charlotte may not be the ultimate test, there are much bigger fish lurking in the second and third game for Syracuse to test it’s mettle.

Check back all week for continued coverage of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Win or lose, Syracuse will be playing all three days and has a number of chances to meet up with currently ranked teams.