College Basketball: Syracuse Orange’s Weaknesses

As we prep for March Madness, we’re taking a closer look at some of the teams that will define whether your bracket booms or busts for you. We’ll be looking at several elements of each team, starting with Syracuse today. See all our Syracuse articles here.

Sure, Syracuse went undefeated for 25 straight games, but behind the Orange’s success are a few chinks in their armor that other teams could take advantage of come March Madness.

1. Offense

Syracuse is a great at shutting down opponents but the Orange are having difficulty finding the bottom of the net themselves. The Orange are atrocious in terms of scoring compared to other elite teams. They are 232nd in points per game (69.6 PPG), 176th in field goals made (24.2) and 146th in field-goal percentage (44.8%).

Although they showed they could light up the scoreboard in their 91-89 win over Duke on February 1, that offensive output can easily be dismissed as an aberration they won’t be able to repeat night after night during the Madness.

2. Free Throws

Syracuse could have avoided some close calls during its undefeated run had it done better from the charity stripe. The Orange are only converting 70.5% of their free throws and only Trevor Cooney (87.8%) is averaging better than 80%.

3. Defending the Three Ball

At times, Syracuse struggles defending the exact offence it runs against its opponents. Known for their feverish 2-3 zone defense, the Orange have the make up of a highly vulnerable team against great three-point shooting teams. Their vulnerability was on full display in Syracuse’s 91-89 win over Duke on February 1, where they allowed the Blue Devils to knock down 15 three.

For the record, Syracuse’s opponents are burning the Orange for 7.2 made three-pointers per game. In their first loss of the season, Boston College torched the Orange with 11 3-pointers on 11-22 shooting from beyond the arc.

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