Syracuse Basketball: Practice or no practice, defense has work to do

Syracuse basketball allowed 84 points in its 2020-21 opener, and that won’t do.

Without question, a lack of practices leading up to its 2020-21 season opener at home against Bryant on Friday afternoon inside the Carrier Dome had a negative effect on Syracuse basketball.

Head coach Jim Boeheim said he shouldn’t have had his guys play the Bulldogs after everyone within the Orange program was forced to quarantine for two weeks following a pair of positive Covid-19 tests earlier this month, including one from Boeheim himself.

In all fairness, not practicing for nearly two weeks naturally hurt the ‘Cuse in this non-conference clash, as the Orange looked a bit winded and certainly struggled on defense.

That Syracuse basketball pulled itself together and registered a comeback from 13 points down in the second half to emerge with an 85-84 triumph is a testament to the squad’s character and resiliency. Boeheim said as much in his post-game press conference.

So before rushing to any grand judgments or proclamations, let’s see how the Orange 2-3 zone fares after a few more games in which the team is able to string together multiple practices in a row surrounding those contests to find a better overall rhythm.

Syracuse basketball is a work in progress on defense after a dreadful first performance.

In the post-game presser, Boeheim, his son, junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, and senior power forward Marek Dolezaj all said that the lack of practices prior to the affair with Bryant made things though for the Orange.

I agree. But even with a dearth of practice time, to allow 84 points, including 13 made shots from 3-point land, is definitely at least a little troubling. The ‘Cuse also gave up 12 offensive rebounds to the Bulldogs.

So with the Orange a tad out of rhythm, it’s understandable to perform at only a so-so level on defense. However, Syracuse basketball did manage to score a bunch of points, which to me says that this squad could be in store for a long 2020-21 stanza in the zone.

All in all, Bryant connected on 43.7 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc. ‘Cuse defenders continue to have a challenging time getting out to shooters on the perimeter, both at the top of the key and on the wings.

Additionally, the Bulldogs passed with precision on many occasions, and that allowed them to get the ball into the high post, with Bryant then effectively attacking the rim.

The Orange did find some success when it instituted a full-court press. For the entire meeting, Syracuse basketball forced its opponent into a whopping 21 turnovers, and the ‘Cuse boasted a stellar 10 steals. The Orange also outrebounded the Bulldogs by two.

A few bright spots for Syracuse basketball, but the ‘Cuse has a long road ahead toward shaping its defense into an advantageous component.