Here are adjustments we want to see in this one
Last year’s matchup between the Syracuse Orange and Colgate Raiders featured the first defining win under Adrian Autry – a massive second-half comeback that saw SU erase a 24-point deficit to win 79-75.
After last week’s narrow win over Le Moyne, what adjustments do we hope to see on Tuesday night when the Raiders make their annual trip to the Dome?
Kevin: Better on-ball defense
Look it’s early in the season with a new roster, so there will be some defensive breakdowns on screens and switches, that’s understandable. However Adrian Autry should be focused on getting his players to do a better job of staying in front of their man from the top of the key. Le Moyne had guards, forwards and centers making straight line drives from the arc to the rim with little resistance. The Orange have to do a better job of keeping the ball out of the lane and I’d like to see that start against Colgate.
Max: Shoot with confidence
Syracuse’s offense sputtered way too much against Le Moyne, and it looked like players were afraid to shoot at times. I know it’s early in the season, but a 43% field goal percentage won’t cut it against Colgate. If prior history is any indication, the Raiders will be bombing in threes left and right, so the Orange must take shots with a similar confidence when they have the ball.
Dom: Sturdy individual frontcourt defense
This could be the biggest x-factor moving forward for the Orange: just how strong is the Freeman-Lampkin duo defensively? Both of Syracuse’s frontcourt starters will be tested in coverage, specifically in one-on-one situations. Neither looked superb against Le Moyne, but there’s at least potential for the duo to hopefully end up being a serviceable defensive combo. Particularly against those elite non-con opponents and the ACC, that will be so critical for Syracuse to have a successful season and that starts with better defensive performance against Colgate.
Szuba: Defense
The biggest hole to plug in the Orange boat is the defense. Like Kevin said, Syracuse was giving up straight line drives to the basket without much resistance against Le Moyne. The Orange still rebounded well in that matchup but Syracuse is going to have to stop teams to win games. Colgate figures to be a good test.
Sam: Defensive communication
Matt Langel is well-known around the country for his extremely intricate and deep playbook. While he didn’t show it off a ton against SUNY Canton on Tuesday, he didn’t need to show his hand, and he still got the Kangaroos’ defense moving around. Syracuse is not SUNY Canton, if they were, this blog wouldn’t exist. It’s not worth comparing them, but the Orange are likely going to see a lot of different actions to get cutters going backdoor, to open up driving lanes for their guards, and have shooters running across screens at the top from Jeff Woodward. It’s vital that Syracuse communicates well, executes its switches, and helps properly, or else the Raider offense could spell trouble.