Syracuse basketball can ill-afford defensive meltdown versus next ACC foe

In its last two Atlantic Coast Conference games, both losses, Syracuse basketball has allowed a sizable number of points to its opponents after half-time.

On New Year’s Day, the Orange gave up 41 points in the second half on the Hill to a Virginia team that struggles to score more than 60 points per contest. The ‘Cuse fell by five points.

Then, earlier this week, Syracuse basketball held an 18-point lead in the first half at Miami. However, a mountain of turnovers committed by the Orange after intermission resulted in a one-point setback, with the Hurricanes producing a whopping 58 points in the second half.

Some ‘Cuse fans, on social media, are suggesting that Syracuse basketball is ailing in the second halves of these ACC encounters because head coach Jim Boeheim isn’t playing his primary reserves all that much, and the starters get tired out in the end.

Whether that’s true or not is up for debate, but the Orange has to figure this conundrum out, because the 2021-22 schedule doesn’t get any easier for the ‘Cuse.

Let’s examine the upcoming Syracuse basketball foe.

On Saturday afternoon, the Orange (7-7, 1-2) heads to Winston-Salem, N.C., for an important ACC showdown with Wake Forest (12-3, 2-2).

Like Miami, the Demon Deacons are one of the pleasant surprises to date in the league. And like the Hurricanes, Wake Forest has a highly efficient offense that will test the Syracuse basketball zone defense.

The Demon Deacons, per ESPN statistics, score 80.2 points per affair, which is among the highest amounts in the ACC. Wake Forest also connects on a strong 48.2 percent from the field as a whole.

That kind of data doesn’t necessarily bode well for a ‘Cuse defense that gives up 76.5 points per meeting, which is really, really bad. Boeheim, to his credit, has taken responsibility for the team’s defensive woes.

One potential saving grace for Syracuse basketball is that while its opponents are taking a high percentage of 3-pointers against the zone, the Demon Deacons only hit on about 33 percent from beyond the arc.

If the Orange defense can hold its own on the perimeter, the ‘Cuse cleans up its careless miscues, and Syracuse basketball is able to win the battle on the boards, I think that the Orange has a decent chance to prevail in this match-up.

In recent stanzas, Wake Forest has been one of the worst squads in the ACC. But that is not the case in 2021-22. A lot of games remain in the current term, but so far, the Demon Deacons have proven a legit team in the conference.

Succeeding on Saturday afternoon will amount to an extremely tall task for Syracuse basketball.