Syracuse basketball defense may be woeful, but Miami struggles to score

Syracuse basketball is coming off of a 20-point pasting at the hands of Pittsburgh on the road over the weekend, in an Atlantic Coast Conference clash where the Orange allowed a whopping 64 points to the Panthers in the second half.

That led to some pretty harsh comments from ‘Cuse head coach Jim Boeheim, and the reality is that Syracuse basketball currently struggles in several key facets, whether that’s 3-point shooting, rebounding, guard play, or defense in general.

Up next for the Orange is an ACC encounter at home versus Miami, and the Hurricanes are a hard team to gauge at this juncture. Coming into the 2020-21 campaign, a lot of national and conference pundits felt that Miami would prove in the mix for a solid standing in the ACC and likely hear its name called on Selection Sunday.

Well, as it stands these days, the Hurricanes (6-6, 2-5) are hovering toward the bottom of the league’s standings, similar to the ‘Cuse (7-4, 1-3).

The present term still has plenty of games left to get played, assuming there is not a lot of postponements for Syracuse basketball amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, which translates to ample opportunities for the Orange to notch marquee wins in the ACC.

Still, if the ‘Cuse doesn’t turn its season around pronto, then its status as a proverbial March Madness bubble team will definitely go away.

Syracuse basketball absolutely, positively must handle Miami on the Hill.

Miami has a ton of talent on its roster, yet the Hurricanes have unfortunately been stung with multiple injuries at key positions. That being said, this hurdle to overcome didn’t prevent Miami from upsetting nationally ranked Louisville this past Saturday night, 78-72.

But that’s the thing with the Hurricanes. They upset the Cardinals, but the affair prior to that, they got blown out at Boston College. Miami has also bested N.C. State and hung really tight in close losses to ACC squads such as North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Clemson.

It’s safe to say that the ACC is a tad bit whacky and unpredictable this year. One item that is fairly lucid centers around the Hurricanes often having a difficult time scoring consistently at a high level.

Per ESPN statistics, Miami is generating just 68.3 points a game, while allowing 66.8 points. Conversely, the Orange is among the league leaders in scoring, at 79.2 points per meeting, yet the ‘Cuse is also giving up a sub-par 71.3 points.

Neither group is shooting from beyond the arc with much success, as the Hurricanes connect on a woeful 28.1 percent, and Syracuse basketball isn’t much better, at 31.6 percent.

Miami and the Orange are slated to tip-off from the Carrier Dome beginning at 7 pm on Tuesday, Jan. 19, with television coverage on the ACC Network.

A lot of statistical categories among these two teams are relatively even, although the ‘Cuse does boast sizable advantages in assists and at the free-throw line.

All-time, Syracuse basketball is 19-9 versus the Hurricanes, but Miami squeaked by the Orange, 69-65 in overtime, a stanza ago, according to orangehoops.org.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that the ‘Cuse, competing in Central New York, has a 79.8 percent chance to conquer the Hurricanes. Given the way that Syracuse basketball has performed in recent games, I think that percentage is far too high.

As of bouts through Jan. 17, the ‘Cuse has a NET rating of No. 60, whereas Miami is No. 116. Over at kenpom.com, Syracuse basketball is No. 51, and the Hurricanes are No. 77.

If the Orange even wants to consider being in the conversation for an invite to the 2021 NCAA Tournament, this is a must-win contest for the ‘Cuse. There’s no other way to slice it.