Is it time to hit the panic button for Syracuse?

In three games this season, the Orange are undefeated 3-0. However, none of SU’s victories have been convincing, far from it. Syracuse’s largest margin of victory this season was nine points, which may sound good. Yet all three of those contests were against low-end non-conference opponents. Le Moyne, Colgate and Youngstown State are all ranked 180th or higher for Kenpom in the country. Given that, these three wins should have created stress-free momentum for SU, but instead they brought a sense of worry to the hill.

Syracuse’s biggest concern through three games has been defense. The Orange have given up at least 72 points per game this season. SU’s main theme is that defense should close out games, instead of giving opposing teams a chance to win. Some examples of this were when Syracuse allowed Le Moyne to score within one with less than two minutes left in the opener, Colgate tied the game at 72 with 90 seconds left, and blew an eight-point lead in overtime against Youngstown State. The Orange simply need more frontcourt and backcourt defense, although it would help if there was more diverse scoring on offense.

SU’s three-pointers in its first three games was bad, to say the least. In the Orange’s last game against the Penguins, the team shot 5-22 from behind the arc. At halftime, Syracuse was shooting 7% from three-point land. As a team this year, Syracuse is shooting just over 25% from three. It’s simply not enough. Forward Chris Bell was just 1-8 against Youngstown State. Given this, Orange must consider different options on the field to move up from three. A player like guard Elijah Moore fits the three-point role perfectly for the Orange. The Bronx native is a pure dead-eyed shooter and came up with a three-point lead against the Penguins in double overtime, guiding the Orange to victory.