By Tommy Kane

Published: March 9th, 2019

Volume III: Issue IV

The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team (19-12, 10-8 ACC) are getting set to take their shot at the annual ACC Tournament. The winner of the ACC Tournament gets an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, but a good chunk of ACC teams are at large bids when it is all said and done.

The Orange finish in 6th and locked up the 6th seed due to Virginia defeating Lousiville on Mar. 9, 2019. Finishing 6th gives Syracuse a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament.

Let’s take a look at some of the positives and negatives that the Orange have had throughout the season that may affect them in the postseason.

Second Half Woes

The Orange are Fighting for Possession

It is no question to Syracuse fans that this year’s squad cannot hold second-half leads. There have been multiple circumstances, especially recently, that show that the Orange cannot hold on.

Against the University of North Carolina on Feb. 26, 2019 is just one of a few examples where this is prevalent. Syracuse held a 46 to 43 point lead on the road when they only scored 39 points in the second half. UNC torched the Orange and scored 50 points to give them the 93 to 85 lead. Granted, this may have not been the worst-case scenario.

A second and more serious example was against the second-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, where the Orange held a halftime lead on Mar. 4, 2019 (Senior Night). SU led, 34-32. Yes, slimmest of margins but wait until the second half. Virginia came out firing from the three-point line and put up 47 points, while SU managed to only score 19 points.

Clemson on Mar. 9, 2019, Duke on Feb. 23, 2019. The list goes on from there.

Allowance of Three-Pointers

Virginia Made 18 Three-Pointers Against the Orange

The “Zone” is one of the core parts of the Orange’s defense, but it does not do a wonderful job containing the three-point strike. Opponents on average shoot 8.4 three-pointers a game, with a percentage of 32.1%.

While this seems like a low number, it really isn’t. Teams have found a way to beat Syracuse by either catching up with three-pointers or just coming on firing them from the start.

An example comes from the bout against Virginia. Throughout the entire game, the Cavaliers were hot, but they utilized this in the second half especially. In total, UVA hit 18 threes in the game, doing so with a 72% conversion rate.

When Syracuse played UNC, they allowed a total of 14 three-pointers. This also hurt the Orange greatly. To win this game, if the Orange decreased the amount threes the Tar Heels scored, they would have had a better chance of pulling off the upset.

While this seems like an anomaly, take a look at other games where the Orange lost; they allowed a good amount of three-point buckets to be converted.

Good Core

The Orange Celebrate After a Basket

The Syracuse Orange have a great scoring core this season, which has helped the team picked up a few big wins like against Duke earlier in the season.

Tyus Battle (G) averages 17.5 points per game, Elijah Hughes (F) averages 13.8 points per game, and Oshae Brissett (F) averages 12.5 points per game. These three are the players that average ten points or more in a game.

In the past, Battle had to pull the weight. While he does still pull a good amount of weight, players like Brissett and Hughes have been helping out this season.

Buddy Boeheim (G) and Marek Dolezaj (F) have also been a huge factor coming off the bench in most games (sometimes Dolezaj starts games). Boeheim can be deadly from the three-point strike (35.5%), and Dolezaj brings a gritty presence that lifts the team to higher levels, He also can shoot the ball when he needs to.

Moving back to Battle, he does create a huge impact on the team. If he isn’t hot, the team typically isn’t as well. He can be a bit of a hothead, but he is a true leader and his team depends on his performance. Depending on how you think, it could be a good thing or a bad thing.

Upset Factor

The Orange Upset Duke on Jan. 14, 2019

While the Orange were supposed to be one of the top dogs in the ACC, it hasn’t turned out that way. The ACC is a difficult conference and while consistent top teams like Duke, UNC, and Virginia control the league, sometimes there are cinderellas that push their way in.

This year, Syracuse shocked a few teams. Shocking Duke at Cameron on Jan. 14, 2019 by winning 95-91 when Duke was the best team in the country is just one example that shows the Orange can rattle a few bones here and there. The Orange also beat a ranked Louisville squad by twenty points (69-49) at the Dome on Feb. 20, 2019.

Riding on those coattails, the Orange have made a few huge runs recently in the NCAA Tournament, notably going to the Final Four in 2016 as a 10 seed. Last year, they also went to the sweet sixteen as an 11 seed. Before losing to Duke, the Orange beat Arizona State in the First Round, defeated TCU in the Second Round, and wrecked Michigan State in the Round of 32.

Coach Jim Boeheim and the team have consistently shown that they can be a huge factor down the stretch, and this year should be no different.

2019 ACC Tournament

Finishing in 6th gives the Orange a first-round bye so they will play the winner of the Boston College and Pittsburgh game on Mar. 13, 2019 at 9:30 EST. If they are able to win that match, they will face the Duke Blue Devils on Mar. 14, 2019 at 9:30 EST.

The ACC Tournament can really boost Syracuse’s resume heading into the NCAA Tournament. It will be vital for the Orange to win as many games as possible to give them a better seed.

Below is the official 2019 ACC Tournament bracket.

GO CUSE!

Stats

ESPN Stats

Syracuse Athletics Stats