Syracuse Basketball vs. Notre Dame: 4 Keys to the Game

Contain Zach Auguste

With Demetrius Jackson sidelined, Zach Auguste is going to have to step up and try and dominate the interior. In three games against SU in his career, Auguste has averaged just 3.3 points and 3 rebounds per contest. To be fair, he only played 10 minutes his freshman and sophomore seasons and his junior year he was up against one of the most dominant centers in Syracuse basketball history, Rakeem Christmas.

This year is a different story though. Auguste has been a double-double machine, recording 11 of them already this season. He’s averaging over 10 rebounds per contest to go with his 13+ points. At 6’10, his size is going to give the Syracuse zone fits on the interior.

More from Syracuse Basketball

• Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Elijah Moore not in top 100, and I don’t get that
• Syracuse basketball 4-star west-coast recruit, in new rankings, into top 20
• Syracuse basketball is hitting D.C. market hard in pursuit of 4-stars, 5-stars
• Syracuse Basketball: Orange has offered 4-stars who played at Elite Camp
• Syracuse Basketball: 4-star PG joins 4-star Elijah Moore in Overtime Elite

Don’t be surprised if Notre Dame’s game plan is to pound the ball inside to Auguste. It’s pretty much been every team’s plan since we were exposed in the Wisconsin game, and many teams have done it very effectively. If they put a player at the high post and just have Auguste camp out around the low blocks, it could spell disaster for Syracuse.

SU needs to be better on the interior, and it all starts with Dajuan Coleman. After a few nice games early in ACC play, Coleman has regressed back into his timid, scared-of-his-own-shadow role, and has been completely ineffective. That was never more apparent than the last two games against Duke and Virginia, where he was routinely out-muscled for rebounds and just looked like he didn’t have a clue how to play defense.

Coleman needs to step up and realize that it’s better if he plays aggressive and gets in foul trouble than if he plays timid… and still gets in foul trouble. At least when he’s aggressive he’s able to make some plays defensively and get some rebounds. When he plays timid, he just looks like a deer in headlights and gets continually run over by guys he should be dominating.

The other player that needs to step up is Tyler Lydon. I know Lydon shouldn’t even be playing the center, but his awareness in the position is abysmal. Far too often he’s caught out too high and gives up a wide open low post pass for an easy dunk or layup. He needs to realize that if a big has the ball at the foul line, give him that shot. If he makes a few, Boeheim will adjust the defense. But stepping out every single time to defend just makes it so easy for us to get beaten on the low post.

Hold your ground Lydon, and let him shoot until he proves he can make them consistently. If that happens… well, I’d still rather have a guy hitting 4 out of 6 from that spot than 6/6 dunks and layups.