Syracuse Basketball Stinks It Up In ACC Opener Vs Boston College

The Syracuse basketball team had their worst nonconference record in Jim Boeheim’s career. They didn’t do much to follow that up in their ACC opener.

So much for the new year producing a fresh start.

The Syracuse baskeetball squad opened ACC play on the road against a Boston College team that hadn’t secured a conference victory since March 2015.

Despite a pro-Orange crowd, Syracuse (8-6) provided no answer to the Eagles’ offensive onslaught, suffering a 15-point setback, 96-81, to a BC outfit (8-6) that went winless in ACC action a year ago.

The ‘Cuse defense surrendered the most points by any SU roster since Syracuse joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2013-14 stanza.

Ouch.

I really am at a loss for words. Our boys have little chemistry, determination and grit. Leadership is lucidly lacking. They don’t play as a cohesive unit, evidenced by the 12 total assists; the Eagles, meanwhile, had 28. Sure, SU managed to put up 81 points on Sunday afternoon.

But, simply put, the defense is porous. It is horrendous. Whereas in years past, the vaunted 2-3 zone proved, well, vaunted, it is now a huge liability.

Time and time again, Boston College moved the ball crisply through the zone, which led to wide-open looks from 3-point land. And the Eagles made the Orange pay, connecting on 16-of-26 from downtown.

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Syracuse can ill-afford to let an opponent strike that much from 3-point range and expect any kind of success.

BC is clearly improved. I give the Eagles credit for a job well done. They also crashed the boards on the offensive glass, paving the way for second-chance opportunities. I can’t think of one SU player that didn’t look completely out of place on defense.

Heck, it got so bad that head coach Jim Boeheim tried the full-court press and even some man-to-man defense toward the game’s ending. Neither worked.

Boeheim had this to say after the contest’s conclusion:

"“We haven’t had a good defensive effort against anybody. And now we’ve played 14 games. If our defense wasn’t better by now, it’s a long shot that it’s going to get a lot better. It’s not just a little bit off. It’s so far off that it looks like we haven’t worked on the defensive end. And we’ve spent most of our time on it. So, that’s a problem that is hard to correct at this stage. We’ll go back and work on it and try to be better defensively. … I don’t really have a good explanation for it.”"

On a more positive note, senior Tyler Roberson manufactured his best output in a while, registering a double-double, which included 8 offensive boards. Graduate transfer Andrew White III regained his long-range shooting stroke in tallying 22 points. Sophomore Tyler Lydon finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. And freshman Taurean Thompson totaled 14 points before fouling out.

Boeheim inserted Thompson into the starting line-up, which relegated senior Dajuan Coleman to the bench. Coleman, somewhat surprisingly, didn’t play at all against Boston College. Boeheim noted that Coleman “hasn’t been good. His knees have been sore.”

"“Tyler Lydon has to play the four,” Boeheim told Syracuse.com. “He’s not effective at the three. I thought Roberson gave us some good play and Taurean as well. If Tyler Lydon doesn’t play the three, then Dajuan isn’t going to play, or one of those guys (Roberson/Thompson) is not going to play.”"

Then again, Boeheim said, “I don’t think it matters who we play.”

Naturally, members of the Syracuse squad sounded dejected after this latest defeat. SU’s current

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record is its worst beginning to a season in two decades, according to Syracuse.com. The ‘Cuse continues its assault on the record books, albeit in a disappointing manner.

The Orange, still without a conquest off a Power 5 program, will try to right its sinking ship when it hosts Miami (11-2) on Wednesday, Jan. 4.

White, SU’s leading scorer who transferred from Nebraska, summed things up this way, per Syracuse.com:

"“Winning is what makes everything fun for everyone. I’m sure some guys are a little discouraged, but everybody has to get their heads in the game if we’re going to turn this around. That’s what is important. Not how everybody’s feeling, but how everyone responds to what’s going on, because we put ourselves in this situation.”"

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