Syracuse basketball defense certainly can improve but is solid so far

Syracuse basketball players are laser-focused on keeping the 2-3 zone sharp.

A year ago, Syracuse basketball often scored a lot of points with relative ease, but the team would also frequently struggle on defense within its 2-3 zone.

Fast-forward to the current campaign, and the Orange has shown it can score in droves, with the ‘Cuse recently putting up more than 100 points on the road in a rout of Boston College.

However, in its most recent outing this past Wednesday afternoon inside the Carrier Dome, Syracuse basketball was awful on offense, but the squad’s defense held up pretty well, enabling the Orange to nudge by Northeastern, 62-56.

In that non-conference clash, the ‘Cuse (5-1) forced the Huskies into a whopping 21 turnovers, and the Orange also collected a solid 10 steals, per ESPN statistics.

Overall, Northeastern connected on just 38.3 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from beyond the arc. Sure, the Huskies did make nine 3-pointers, and some were relatively wide-open looks.

Following the ‘Cuse victory, head coach Jim Boeheim said in a Zoom call with media members that his team had a few breakdowns on defense, and the zone has to continue improving.

But, by and large, the Orange defense is turning its opponents over at a strong clip, and undeniably the team’s performance on that end of the court is what enabled Syracuse basketball to prevail against Northeastern, Boeheim said.

The Syracuse basketball zone is on a good trajectory but has to keep getting better.

Sophomore point guard Joe Girard III said in the virtual press conference that the entire roster worked hard on defense versus the Huskies, and it’s a positive that the ‘Cuse squeaked out a success despite shooting so poorly.

Sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier agreed with Girard, with Guerrier saying that, in essence, everything starts on defense for Syracuse basketball, and its prowess in the zone can help lead to pivotal points scored in transition.

In 2019-20, the Orange possessed a KenPom rating of No. 51, with its adjusted offensive efficiency at No. 21 and the squad’s adjusted defensive efficiency at No. 116.

Prior to college basketball games on Friday night, the ‘Cuse possessed a KenPom ranking of No. 30, along with an adjusted offensive efficiency of No. 49 and an adjusted defensive efficiency of No. 22, which is quite encouraging.

Also entering Atlantic Coast Conference competition on Friday evening, Syracuse basketball was No. 7 in scoring defense within the league, No. 3 in steals, No. 5 in turnover margin and No. 3 in total rebounds per encounter. The Orange will host a physical, tough group in Buffalo this Saturday at 6 pm.