Syracuse basketball has a 5-5 record at this point in the 2021-22 campaign, and some of my fellow Orange fans have already declared the current stanza a bust.
In all fairness, I totally get the frustration of ‘Cuse fans, and I myself feel their pain. The Orange, with two non-conference games to go, is 4-5 in these encounters, with an Atlantic Coast Conference win at Florida State leveling the ‘Cuse record at a less-than-stellar .500.
So it’s true that, assuming Syracuse basketball dispatches of Lehigh and Cornell in the near future, the best that the Orange can do is put forth a sub-par 6-5 overall performance during the non-conference portion of the 2021-22 calendar.
Given that the ‘Cuse has a vastly revamped roster and has also faced a challenging schedule to date, I figured that Syracuse basketball might endure a trio of setbacks in the non-conference docket. But five defeats? I didn’t foresee that at all.
Syracuse basketball has a lot of ground to make up in ACC competition.
I admit that I’m a homer, because I love ‘Cuse hoops and I love Syracuse University, which is my alma mater. But I’ll shy away from orange-tinted glasses for the moment.
At 5-5, Syracuse basketball is struggling. Mightily. The defense is just atrocious. The Orange continues to get out-rebounded by the majority of its opponents.
Georgetown did that to the ‘Cuse on Saturday afternoon in our nation’s capital. The Hoyas also connected on a higher clip from beyond the arc and got to the free-throw line more than Syracuse basketball. That, to me, did the Orange in.
On the face of it, the ‘Cuse didn’t play an awful game against those pesky Hoyas (5-4). Syracuse basketball shot 44 percent from the field, which is solid. The Orange collected 20 assists and only had seven turnovers.
But … the ‘Cuse hit eight shots from deep at a 31-percent clip, whereas Georgetown stroked 11 from the perimeter and connected on 42 percent. In a 79-75 loss, that’s pretty much the ball game for Syracuse basketball.
Additionally, the Hoyas were plus-11 from the charity stripe. Similar to numerous other foes in 2021-22, Georgetown was simply more physical and quicker to the ball.
Despite being a small betting favorite and playing a much more difficult schedule to date, the Orange couldn’t get it done versus the Hoyas.
And that frustrating result came only a few days after the ‘Cuse fell by 14 points to No. 6 Villanova in New York City, during a bruising battle in which Syracuse basketball led at the half.
I had hoped for at least a 1-1 record this past week against the Wildcats and the Hoyas in a nostalgic Big East Conference tour. Instead, the Orange went 0-2. Is the 2021-22 season over, as some ‘Cuse fans have assertively opined?
I’m not in that camp – yet. But I also believe that unless Syracuse basketball turns things around, particularly in its zone defense, the Orange is headed to the NIT rather than the Big Dance.