Syracuse Basketball: Jim Boeheim harsh words about defense, rebounding

In his post-game press conference after Syracuse basketball fell to Colgate for the first time in decades, Orange head coach Jim Boeheim kept it fairly simple.

The ‘Cuse was poor on defense in the 2-3 zone, and the team was not good on the glass. That’s it, according to Boeheim. And I totally agree with him.

Inside the Carrier Dome on Saturday in the early evening, Syracuse basketball (2-1) lost to the Raiders, 100-85, after the Orange raced out to a 15-point advantage in the first half.

In essence, Boeheim said that if his players defend and rebound as they did versus Patriot League member Colgate (3-2), they’re not going to win many games throughout the rest of the 2021-22 term.

Syracuse basketball boss Jim Boeheim is not happy with his team’s defense and rebounding.

It’s true that, early on, Colgate couldn’t buy a bucket from 3-point land, and the Orange raced out to a 17-2 advantage. But as Boeheim noted, Syracuse basketball was still giving up open looks from the perimeter, and the Raiders just weren’t knocking them down.

But in the final 30 minutes or so of this non-conference clash, Colgate passed well, dissected the Orange’s 2-3 zone with precision, and hit a ton of 3-pointers.

Ultimately, per ESPN statistics, the Raiders connected on 18-of-43 shots from deep, for about 42 percent. I can’t foresee any future games that the ‘Cuse can prevail in when it allows 18 3-pointers.

Additionally, on the glass, Syracuse basketball lost that battle to Colgate by a margin of 44-34. The Raiders also tallied an astounding 19 offensive boards, and some of those rebounds resulted in made 3-pointers.

Look, rebounding has often proven an issue for the Orange. Part of that, I’ll chalk up to a zone defense where ‘Cuse defenders are guarding an area, versus a specific player.

But Colgate players were outmuscling Syracuse basketball centers and others. On the other end of the floor, as Boeheim noted, when Orange players were driving to the lane and a shot would go up, Colgate’s guards were effectively blocking out Syracuse basketball big men. That can’t happen, the ‘Cuse head coach said.

In the zone, the Orange didn’t do a good job of keeping the ball out of the high post. The ‘Cuse didn’t rotate well to shooters in the corners. And when Syracuse basketball did force Raiders players into contested shots, the Orange would then get pushed around and give up offensive rebounds.

All in all, Boeheim said, everyone within the ‘Cuse line-up has to vastly improve on defense and on the glass.