Syracuse Basketball: Orange’s inside struggles remain a huge issue

Syracuse basketball connected on just enough 3-pointers to hold off an Oakland group that came oh so close to pulling off a massive upset on the Hill.

In years past, Syracuse basketball typically would feast on solid, but not terrific, teams from mid-major conferences in the non-conference slate. That is not the case during the 2019-20 campaign.

The Orange, suiting up before a sparse and quiet crowd on Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome, couldn’t completely pull away from Oakland.

Sure, for much of this contest, the ‘Cuse held the lead, but it never got much beyond 6 to 10 points. In the affair’s final few minutes, I felt a bit nervous, because Syracuse seemed to let the Golden Grizzlies hang around for far too long.

Ultimately, several key plays on defense, stellar free-throw shooting, and 11 made attempts from beyond the arc enabled the Orange (6-5) to emerge victoriously, 74-62, versus a pesky Oakland crew that I commend for giving the ‘Cuse an absolutely challenging game.

The Golden Grizzlies (5-7) won the battle of the boards, which usually signals a loss for Syracuse. Oakland’s pair of impressive big men combined for 36 points, carving up the Orange’s 2-3 zone. This is a distressing trend that I fear will only get worse as the ‘Cuse wraps up the out-of-conference calendar and resumes Atlantic Coast Conference competition, where its opponents will prove even stronger and harder to deal with in the paint.

Additionally, the Golden Grizzlies went to the charity stripe more instances than Syracuse, although each unit hit on the same percentage. What saved the Orange are special performances by redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes and freshman point guard Joe Girard III. The ‘Cuse also dished out 20 assists, secured an excellent 11 steals, only committed seven miscues, and forced Oakland into a whopping 16 mistakes.

While I recognize, and this probably applies to the bevy of Syracuse fanatics out there, that the Orange roster in the current stanza is relatively inexperienced and young, I wish that the ‘Cuse would focus a bit less on hoisting from 3-point land.

I know that a lack of post scoring means that Syracuse’s long-range threats are that much more imperative, however, my sense is that the Orange fares the best when its players are getting out in transition, and driving to the hoop with aggression when its offense is in half-court sets.

Case in point, the ‘Cuse shot 24-of-58 against the Golden Grizzlies but only 11-of-34 from downtown. If my math is correct, Syracuse then made 13-of-24 attempts inside the arc, which is an awesome percentage. It would prove great if the Orange concentrated a bit more on finding shots besides those that reside from deep. This also keeps its foes’ defenses a tad more honest.

All in all, Syracuse didn’t look tremendous versus Oakland, yet a win is a win. Next up for the Orange is a home tilt beginning at 6 p.m. this coming Saturday, Dec. 21, against North Florida, a squad that is one of the premier 3-point shooting outfits in the country. Needless to say, the ‘Cuse zone better come ready to fight.