Syracuse basketball opens ACC slate with tall task versus really deep team

When Atlantic Coast Conference officials unveiled the league’s schedule for the 2021-22 campaign, Syracuse basketball got matched up with conference heavyweight Florida State in the Orange’s initial ACC clash.

That’s pretty brutal, if you ask me. Especially considering that the ‘Cuse recently wrapped up a challenging go-round in the Bahamas over the Thanksgiving holiday, played a two-overtime slugfest versus Indiana earlier this week, and also has non-conference collisions with Villanova and Georgetown looming in the near future.

Between those recent results and the contests coming up, we’re going to know a lot about how Syracuse basketball is likely to fare throughout the course of the 2021-22 stanza.

Following its thrilling 112-110 victory over the Hoosiers this past Tuesday night on the Hill as part of the 2021 ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the Orange (4-3) is now set to travel to the Seminoles for a 4 pm scheduled tip-off on Saturday, Dec. 4, in Tallahassee, Fla.

Fatigue could prove an issue when Syracuse basketball is at Florida State.

FSU boss Leonard Hamilton is one of the most underrated head coaches in the sport of collegiate hoops. He’s done a marvelous job guiding the Seminoles, and one key thing that Hamilton is noted for centers on him playing an extremely deep bench.

Case in point, in looking at various statistics for Florida State (5-2) so far in 2021-22 on the ESPN Web site, the Seminoles roster features seven players who average at least five points per encounter.

What’s more, 11 guys within the FSU line-up receive a minimum of 10 minutes on the floor each game. That is some kind of long bench, if you ask me.

To date in 2021-22, Orange head coach Jim Boeheim has appeared to rely on an eight-man rotation, although we all know that often he’ll shrink that down to six or seven players at a maximum.

My concern here, also keeping in mind that Syracuse basketball competed in a double-overtime affair a few days ago, is that Hamilton’s extended roster could end up wearing out the Orange’s much shorter rotation.

I know that these young men, on both squads, are in prime athletic condition, as Boeheim has alluded to many times over the years. But if Florida State keeps bringing in fresh players, and ‘Cuse starters all see 30-plus minutes of run, it will be interesting to see how that might affect the Orange on offense, in the 2-3 zone and also out in transition.

Syracuse basketball has a sizable advantage in scoring offense, while the Seminoles have a large edge in scoring defense. A lot of other statistical categories are similar. The ‘Cuse has to avoid foul trouble, without question.

FSU shoots at a fairly strong clip from beyond the arc, but the Seminoles aren’t great from the charity stripe, and they turn the ball over nearly 15 times per game. These are all areas to monitor when the Orange invades the Sunshine State.