Syracuse Orange
ACC (19-13, 9-9)
Early in the year, Syracuse looked like they had some really bad losses on their resume. In nonconference action, the Orange lost to Wisconsin and Georgetown. Both of those losses do not look as bad now as they did in December. But the loss to St. John’s is only looking worse and that is a terrible loss, much worse than one would assume. After surviving an 0-5 start to ACC play, in part due to the absence of Coach Jim Boeheim stemming from a suspension handed down by the NCAA, Syracuse turned it around and played pretty well, especially at home.
Big Wins: 11/27 vs Texas A&M (74-67), 1/18 at Duke (64-62), 1/28 Notre Dame (81-66)
Bad Losses: 12/5 at Georgetown (72-79), 12/13 at St. John’s (72-84), 1/5 Clemson (73-74)
Coach: Jim Boeheim
Why They Can Surprise:
The Syracuse zone is just as effective as normal and that has been what has gotten the Orange to where they are. Rarely do the Orange give up an easy shot and they also create quite a few turnovers. The team ranks second in the ACC in field-goal percentage defense and three-point field-goal percentage and first in steals per game. Michael Gbinije spearheads the defensive effort with his 2.0 steals per game. The 6-7 senior also leads the offense with his team high 17.8 points and 4.1 assists per game. Guards Malachi Richardson and Trevor Cooney are also double digit scorers who will pick up a steal or two every game and Franklin Howard provides defensive intensity on the perimeter off of the bench. Tyler Lydon has emerged as the interior force during his freshman campaign. On the year he is averaging 10.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and a team high 1.5 blocks. Lydon is tough to defend since he can step out and knock down shots with consistency. Tyler Roberson is the more traditional big man who will stay in the paint. He is averaging 8.8 points and 8.0 rebounds on the year.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The biggest problem Syracuse has is depth. Coach Boeheim plays five guys 30 minutes or more per game. DaJuan Coleman will eat up about 15 to 20 minutes in the paint and Howard comes in when Richardson or Cooney need a brief rest. And that’s it. It is a problem the Orange will need to get used to as the sanctions take away some scholarships, but this group could wear down in March. Generally speaking foul trouble has not been an issue, but it would not take much to force Coach Boeheim to reach deeper into his bench then he would prefer or leave somebody in foul trouble on the floor and that is not good for the defense. With the zone, Syracuse can protect any player in foul trouble, but that is still not an ideal situation in a tournament setting.
Probable Starters:
Malachi Richardson, Freshman, Guard, 13.2 ppg, 2.3 apg, 4.3 rpg
Trevor Cooney, Senior, Guard, 12.8 ppg, 2.4 apg, 1.6 spg
Michael Gbinije, Senior, Forward, 17.8 ppg, 4.4 apg, 4.1 rpg, 2.0 spg
Tyler Roberson, Junior, Forward, 8.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg
DaJuan Coleman, Junior, Center, 5.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Franklin Howard, Freshman, Guard, 1.6 ppg, 1.8 apg
Tyler Lydon, Freshman, Forward, 10.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.5 bpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.2 (246th in nation, 13th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.5 (36, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.5 (249, 14)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.1 (65, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.7 (42, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.7 (130, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.2 (236, 13)
Rebound Margin: -1.5 (240, 14)
Assists Per Game: 14.0 (127, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.1 (111, 11)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Western Michigan
2014 NCAA Third Round loss to Dayton
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Montana
2013 NCAA Third Round win over California
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Indiana
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Marquette
2013 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Michigan
2012 NCAA Second Round win over UNC Asheville
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Kansas State
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Wisconsin
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Ohio State
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Indiana State
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Marquette
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Vermont
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Gonzaga
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Butler
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Stephen F Austin
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Arizona State
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Oklahoma
*all team stats through 3/6
