Syracuse Basketball: Please take fewer 3s and rebound the ball vs. Pitt

Syracuse basketball has limited center options, which could be an issue at Pittsburgh.

Syracuse basketball blew an 18-point lead on Jan. 6 inside the Carrier Dome to Pittsburgh, as the Panthers triumphed by three points. Since then, the Orange has gone 1-1, beating former Big East Conference rival Georgetown at home, and falling by a half-dozen points at North Carolina this past Tuesday evening.

The Panthers, meanwhile, haven’t suited up in a game since besting the ‘Cuse more than a week ago, due to Covid-19 protocols that forced postponements.

So when Pitt hosts Syracuse basketball this Saturday at 12 pm, the Panthers could either have extremely fresh legs or prove a tad rusty, depending on how you look at it.

How Pittsburgh will fare after such a long layoff remains uncertain, but two things are abundantly clear. If the Orange doesn’t perform better on the glass and shoot more efficiently from beyond the arc, the ‘Cuse is going to lose to the Panthers for the second time in 10 days.

This isn’t rocket science that I’m about to discuss. It’s simple math. Over its past three contests, the two main factors in determining success or a setback for Syracuse basketball are rebounding and 3-point shooting.

In its victory against the Hoyas, the Orange prevailed on the boards and only took 21 attempts from 3-point land, hitting on a solid 42.9 percent of them.

When the ‘Cuse succumbed to Pittsburgh and the Tar Heels, the Orange hoisted up way more 3-point shots and made a smaller percentage of them. Those two foes also totally destroyed Syracuse basketball on the glass, particularly with offensive rebounds.

Syracuse basketball must find a way to hang on the boards with Pittsburgh.

Given the challenges that the ‘Cuse (7-3) presently finds itself facing at the center position, it’s understandable that the team will struggle in the rebounding department when squaring off with physical groups such as a Pitt or a North Carolina.

I’m not expecting the Orange to out-rebound the Panthers. Syracuse basketball just can’t lose in this category by 15 or 20, especially if that means Pittsburgh is grabbing a ton of offensive rebounds and converting them into easy second-chance points.

Head coach Jim Boeheim has said that his roster consists more of shooters than drivers, but I still feel like the ‘Cuse can focus a good portion of its offensive attention toward the mid-range game as well as sets that result in players scoring in the paint or landing opportunities from the charity stripe.

Simply passing the ball around the perimeter, without a lot of fluidity and crisp movement, seems to lead to contested 3-point shot attempts, and that’s not a strong recipe for Syracuse basketball to score with efficiency and proficiency.

A bruising, physical team such as Pittsburgh (6-2) will likely clog up the middle and force the Orange to shoot more from the outside. However, even if the ‘Cuse isn’t making a high percentage from downtown, easy points from the free-throw line and out in transition after generating turnovers will go a long way toward Syracuse basketball scoring more than 60 points in the team’s rematch with the Panthers.