Syracuse Basketball: 2019-20 season is quickly starting to slip away

Syracuse basketball blew a nine-point, second-half lead against Virginia Tech. Here’s why the lack of consistency is the heart of the Orange’s issues.

When the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule for Syracuse basketball got unveiled, a lot of folks, myself included, thought that the Orange received a favorable docket.

The ‘Cuse didn’t have to compete twice versus several of the league’s heavyweights, and the early part of the calendar appeared more than manageable.

Whoops. Not so fast.

Syracuse (8-7, 1-3), coming off a disappointing one-point home setback to Notre Dame this past weekend, built a nine-point advantage after intermission on Tuesday night against Virginia Tech inside the Carrier Dome, but the Orange collapsed in the second part of the second half. The Hokies went on a massive run, Virginia Tech started making its 3-pointers, and the ‘Cuse couldn’t get its offense going.

The Hokies (11-4, 2-2) ultimately triumphed, 67-63, and Syracuse now stands at 0-3 in ACC tilts on the Hill, which is awful. Let’s give credit where credit is due. Virginia Tech missed shot after shot from deep for much of this affair, but the Hokies hung around. The Orange had opportunities to blow the contest wide open, but it failed to do that, and it cost the ‘Cuse, dearly.

Except for a few squads at the top of the conference, namely Duke, Florida State and perhaps Louisville, there are no super great groups. The middle of the ACC is, to put it lightly, log-jammed. That’s why Syracuse had a golden chance, in its encounters with the Fighting Irish and the Hokies, to claim a pair of victories in Central New York and kick off the meat of ACC play at 3-1.

Instead, the Orange fell on both occasions, by a combined five points, and the ‘Cuse next travels to Charlottesville on Saturday, Jan. 11, for a rematch with Virginia, the defending national champions. The Cavaliers just got knocked off, on the road, at Boston College, so you know that UVA will look to take out its frustration on Syracuse in a couple of days.

No matter the Orange’s record, I fervently cheer on our boys, but this current campaign has become increasingly discouraging. It’s not that the ‘Cuse is a terrible team. It simply can’t seem to put the entire package together for a whole 40 minutes.

Versus Notre Dame, the offense proved fabulous, but the defense didn’t show up. Against Virginia Tech, the 2-3 zone fared well for a while, but then it faltered, and the same held true of Syracuse’s offense in the Hokies meeting.

Overall, the Orange defense actually performed admirably versus Virginia Tech’s prolific 3-point shooting, but the Hokies connected on multiple critical attempts in the final 10 to 12 minutes. The ‘Cuse didn’t commit a ton of careless miscues, but it only out-rebounded a much shorter Virginia Tech crew by one, and Syracuse generated a paltry six assists, as compared to a stellar 20 for the Hokies.

In these bouts where the margin for error is so slim, the Orange could have a vastly different perspective on its present term had it closed the door on its two most-recent foes. If the ‘Cuse prevailed over each of them, Syracuse is 10-5, and 3-1 in the ACC, and things don’t appear as gloomy.

But, rather, the Orange is in danger of treading at 8-8 if it doesn’t best Virginia, which is a distinct possibility. The ‘Cuse has never registered a losing stanza in more than four decades with head coach Jim Boeheim at the helm. I sincerely hope that this feat isn’t about to get halted.