Syracuse Basketball: Top 5 keys for Orange to upend Notre Dame

Syracuse basketball heads to South Bend, Ind., on Wednesday night for a rematch with Notre Dame. Here’s what the Orange must do to prevail.

Syracuse basketball put forth one of its premier performances of the 2019-20 campaign when the Orange battled Notre Dame on January 4 in Central New York. Even though the ‘Cuse fell, 88-87, there’s not a whole lot for which to criticize Syracuse in that encounter.

In a nutshell, the Fighting Irish made one more free throw than the Orange on the Hill, and that proved the final margin of victory for Notre Dame. The ‘Cuse certainly had its chances to succeed, but it couldn’t quite get over the hump.

Now Syracuse (11-7, 4-3) hits the road on Wednesday evening, as it seeks to exact revenge on the Fighting Irish (11-6, 2-4) from Purcell Pavilion. There are a number of facets in which the Orange needs to capitalize on if it wants to notch a conquest versus Notre Dame and tie up the regular-stanza series.

First and foremost, the ‘Cuse has to crash the boards.

The Fighting Irish is a more physical and taller team than Syracuse’s most-recent foe, Virginia Tech, and if the Orange doesn’t collect its fair share of rebounds, it won’t achieve.

Notre Dame, and particularly its’ senior forward, John Mooney, secured several key opportunities at second-chance points when the Fighting Irish beat the ‘Cuse a few weeks ago.

Syracuse also has to take care of the ball extremely well.

Notre Dame itself doesn’t commit a lot of turnovers, and the Orange coughed up 11 miscues in their last duel. These kinds of mistakes can convert to easy buckets for the Fighting Irish, and the ‘Cuse can’t allow that to occur.

Additionally, giving up 88 points, including 51 points after intermission, won’t get it done. Luckily for Syracuse, its 2-3 zone has looked relatively solid in besting the Hokies, Virginia and Boston College.

But Notre Dame presents a different sort of challenge because the Fighting Irish is adept at generating points beyond the arc, and in the paint. On defense, Orange players must stay laser-focused, active and in sync – with their hands always up and searching for deflections and steals. And, pretty please, do not let Mooney have another monster output.

The foul situation is pivotal. The ‘Cuse big men have a tendency to pick up silly fouls early in affairs that land them on the bench, and that’s a recipe for disaster.

Conversely, if Syracuse guys continue to attack the rim with aggression, and not simply settle for 3-point attempts, then maybe that could lead to foul trouble for Mooney and others on a Notre Dame roster that isn’t terribly deep.

Obviously, the Orange will have to connect on its shots at a credible clip. I really admired how the ‘Cuse, against Virginia Tech, produced an abundance of points inside the 3-point line. Let’s maintain that trend.

Finally, Syracuse must keep its composure if this contest, unsurprisingly, is close at its conclusion. The Orange has shown a keen ability of late to triumph in tightly fought tilts, and it will need that resolve versus the Fighting Irish in a hostile environment.

The ‘Cuse is stellar on the road in Atlantic Coast Conference clashes at this juncture, and Notre Dame is a juicy occasion for Syracuse to obtain a further marquee accomplishment.