With all five starters returning from a Sweet 16-run, Syracuse’s offense was expected to improve.

Tyus Battle worked on his jumper this past summer with NBA skills coach Drew Hanlen. Oshae Brissett and SU assistant coach Adrian Autry Sr. fine-tuned the former’s 3-point shot. The Orange even added sharpshooting transfer Elijah Hughes and freshman guard Buddy Boeheim, whose shot was compared to Klay Thompson’s by SU assistant coach Gerry McNamara.

Yet five games into the season, Syracuse’s field-goal and 3-point percentage has decreased from 2017. The Orange (3-2) has fallen out of the Top 25 after back-to-back losses at Madison Square Garden, a byproduct of the offensive struggles. Despite a blowout win over Colgate last week, when SU shot over 50 percent from the field and 3 in the second half, there’s still a clear need for shot improvement  

“It’s not what we can do,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said on Nov. 21 after defeating Colgate. “I think we can do better. Hopefully it will come”

Though it’s a small sample size, Syracuse has shot nearly 40 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from 3 through five games this season, which ranks in the bottom 10 among all NCAA Division I teams, per Kenpom.com. The Orange is shooting nearly 8.5 percent worse from 3 than the season before, yet hoisting up three more per game.

“I’m more than concerned,” Boeheim said of the offense, after its 80-65 loss to Oregon. “When you shoot 5-for-28, there’s not much you can say about it. I think they’re good shots. They’re guys that are capable of shooting from there.”

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Early in the season, Syracuse created open shot opportunities but points rarely followed. It was easier to scathe by lesser teams like Eastern Washington and Morehead State, but once competition increased, the struggles became clearer.

In SU’s first loss of the season to Connecticut, SU shot 39.4 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from 3.

“We weren’t in any way shape or form good on the offensive end,” Boeheim said after the Nov. 15 loss. “We’re not in sync on offense at all. It’s just where we’re at right now.”

The following day, against Oregon, there was no improvement. Again, the Orange lost. And this time, Syracuse shot significantly worse — 35.3 percent from the field and 17.9 percent from 3.

It followed a similar trend Boeheim had harped on in game’s past. The offense, still without starting point guard Frank Howard, was out of sorts. 3-pointers weren’t falling. But, taking away SU’s 3-point field goal attempts, the Orange shot 56.5 percent from inside the arc.

“I feel like my shots were open,” Brissett said after the Oregon loss. “They play kind of a weird zone. They left me open.  They left a lot of guys open. We just couldn’t get the shots to fall.”

The offense finally seemed to click at times against Colgate, with Howard returning to the lineup for the first time all season.

The addition of Howard allowed Battle to play off-ball. Battle, Hughes and Brissett attacked the basket more rather than settling for a 3.  

“I feel like I’m pretty good at getting by people so I try using that to my advantage,” Battle said after the win. “And when they start stepping back, I’ll start shooting the 3. So I try to be as aggressive as possible.”

The trio combined for 58 points on 20-of-36 shooting. And while Howard shot 1-for-5, he added five assists and no turnovers. Despite a weaker opponent, it was a step forward for the offense.

“It kind of looks like we made a whole lot of shots, and in reality we made a few,” Boeheim said. “We still shot 7-for-20 from 3, so I guess that’s 35 percent. When you’re shooting 20 that’s pretty good.”

When Syracuse hits the road against No. 16 Ohio State (6-0) on Wednesday, the Orange will face an undefeated team that has won each game by eight-plus points.

For a chance to bounce back with a Top 25 win to its resume, offensive improvement is necessary.

Published on November 26, 2018 at 10:59 pm

Contact Charlie: csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco