The usual pattern of the last few years of Syracuse trying to find itself late in the season and be ready for the NCAA Tournament is getting severely tested this season.
Syracuse is 10-11 overall and 4-6 in the ACC and might have to win the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y., to extend coach Jim Boeheim’s NCAA streak to four years (not counting 2020). The 77-year-old Boeheim is tied with Duke retiring coach Mike Krzyzewski with 35 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Syracuse plays at NC State at 9 p.m. tonight on ESPN2.
Overview
Syracuse has found it difficult to retool from last year’s team, which went 18-10 overall and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Wing Alan Griffin turned professional and is in the G-League. Power forward Quincy Guerrier transferred to Oregon and backup point guard Kadary Richmond left for Seton Hall. Additionally, power forward Robert Braswell left for Charlotte and small forward Woody Newton transferred to Oklahoma State.
Coach Boeheim added his son Jimmy Boeheim from Cornell, joining senior wing Buddy Boeheim. Villanova transfer Cole Swider is the new stretch four. The two Boeheim’s and Swider are joined by junior point guard Joe Girard III and junior center Jesse Edwards.
Rankings
Syracuse is No. 94 in the NET rankings this season, and NC State is No. 123.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Orange currently ranked No. 66 overall, and NC State is No. 104.
KenPom.com has Syracuse at No. 79, and NCSU checks in at No. 109.
RealtimeRPI.com has NC State ranked No. 182 in the country, and Syracuse is No. 148.
Shooting
Syracuse can easily have four three-point shooters on the court at the same time. The Orange are averaging 77.3 points per game and shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 36.2 percent on three-pointers.
Three players have at least 122 three-point field-goal attempts — Buddy Boeheim, Girard and Cole Swider. Girard is shooting 41.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Rebounding
Syracuse is averaging 36.2 rebounds per game this season, with opponents out-rebounding them at 36.9. Syracuse has allowed 248 offensive rebounds for 11.8 per contest.
Swider leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game, with center Edwards right behind him at 6.7. Jimmy Boeheim chips in 6.1 boards a contest.
Defense
The usually stingy 2-3 zone defense hasn’t been as tough to solve this season, with the lack of length on the roster. Opponents are averaging 75.1 points per game this season.
Opposing teams are shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from the three-point arc, with 10.7 three-point field goals made per contest. Edwards has an impressive 61 blocks, but the next Syracuse player has seven blocks. Girard leads the team with 36 steals and the Orange average 7.7 a game.
Depth
Syracuse traditionally has a short rotation and this season is no different. Sophomore center Frank Anselem, junior point guard Symir Torrence, a Marquette transfer, and freshman power forward Benny Williams come off the bench.
None of the three average more than 2.3 points per game. Rivals.com had Williams as the No. 22 overall player in the class of 2021 coming out of the post-graduate team at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.
Star Watch
There was a time in the recruiting process where people thought Buddy Boeheim was only getting a chance to play at Syracuse due to his dad, coach Jim Boeheim.
Rivals.com had Boeheim as a three-star prospect out of Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy in the class of 2018. Syracuse, Gonzaga, Iona and UMass all offered him, but his recruitment was likely altered that coaches thought he’d end up with the Orange.
What was clear with Boeheim in high school is he could really shoot. That became clear his freshman season and all four years at Syracuse. The green light has only gotten more green over the years.
Boeheim has averaged 14.2 points per game for his career and has seen his scoring averaging rise every season. He’s 277 of 761 from 3-point land for 36.4 percent in his career. He’s currently 17th all-time in ACC history.
Boeheim torched NC State in the first half last year in the ACC Tournament before Dereon Seabron was switched on to him and slowed him down. He finished with 27 points and five assists and went 6 of 12 from three-point land in the 89-68 win on March 10. Boeheim had 16 points and went 3 of 4 on three-pointers in the regular season contest, which the Orange won 77-68 in Raleigh on Feb. 9.
The green light this season has led to six games where he’s attempted at least 10 three-point attempts. He got hot last Saturday in the 94-72 win vs. Wake Forest, making 6 of 11 on three-pointers en route to 30 points, plus seven assists and five rebounds.
Likely Starters
NC State
PG — 1 Dereon Seabron (6-7, 180, R-Soph., 18.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.5 spg)
SG — 0 Terquavion Smith (6-4, 160, Fr., 15.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.5 spg)
G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, Jr., 7.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.8 apg)
PF — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 200, Sr., 15.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.3 spg)
C — 21 Ebenezer Dowuona (6-11, 225, Soph., 4.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.1 apg, 1.8 bpg)
Syracuse
PG — 11 Joseph Girard III (6-1, 190, Jr., 13.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg)
SG — 35 Buddy Boeheim (6-6, 205, Sr., 19.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg)
SF — 0 Jimmy Boeheim (6-8, 225, Sr., 13.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg)
PF — 21 Cole Swider (6-9, 220, Sr., 12.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 spg)
C — 14 Jesse Edwards (6-11, 230, Jr., 12.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 2.9 bpg)
Numbers Of Note
2: Number of Division I teams that have all five starters averaging in double figures — Syracuse and St. Bonaventure.
75: Double-digit scoring games for Buddy Boehein in his Syracuse career. He has had 20-plus points in 32 contests, including 11 this season.
1,093 Career wins by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, with the NCAA recognizing 992 of them. He had 101 wins vacated between 2004-07 and 2010-12.
Game Within The Game: Syracuse’s Jesse Edwards vs. NC State’s Ebenezer Dowuona
Syracuse junior center Jesse Edwards has quietly become one of the most improved players in the ACC.
The 6-11, 230-pounder from Amsterdam, Netherlands, is the lone shot-blocking presence in the 2-3 zone defense. He’s averaging 2.9 blocks per game and has 13 games of at least three blocks this season. He blocked an impressive seven shots in the 88-87 loss at Miami on Jan. 5.
What has been surprising is his progress on the offensive end. With four three-point shooters surrounding him, he’s shooting a blistering 68.3 percent from the field and averaging 12.0 points per game. He’s reached double figures in 14 contests this season with a season-high 22 in the aforementioned Miami game. He also had 21 points and eight rebounds in a 92-84 win over Arizona State.
Edwards averaged just 1.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game last year in 8.9 minutes a contest.
NC State is hoping sophomore center Ebenezer Dowuona will follow a similar path in the future as Edwards. He’s averaging 4.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Shot-blocking has become harder in ACC games for the 6-11, 225-pounder. He has 11 blocks in league games, but just two over his last seven contests.
Follow on Twitter:
@NCStateRivals or @JaceyZembal
Subscribe for free on YouTube:
For Jacey Zembal or The Wolfpack Central
Like on Facebook:
