Arizona State Basketball: 3 keys for the Sun Devils to beat Syracuse
2. Force Syracuse to beat you from long distance
Even when Arizona State has struggled this season, they have usually hit perimeter shots. The Sun Devils lost 5 of their last 6 games but averaged 8.5 made threes per game during that span. The one outlier was a blowout win over a terrible Cal team where they only made 4 threes. However, they shot 37 free throws in that contest.
I hate to break it to Arizona State fans but you are not getting to the free throw line 37 times against Syracuse. Teams get 19.9% of their points from the free throw line against Syracuse while Arizona State typically gets 22.3% of their points from the charity stripe against the average opponent (per Kenpom).
Arizona State must hit perimeter shots if they hope to win and luckily for them, they will have plenty of opportunities. 43.8% of opposing teams’ shots against Syracuse are three-pointers which puts them in the top 20 in terms of most three-point attempts allowed.
The Sun Devils are a strong three-point shooting team as Tra Holder, Kodi Justice, and Shannon Evans are all dangerous long-range shooters. All three players shoot over 37% from three and will benefit from getting the additional opportunities that come from playing a zone-oriented squad.
However, one of the main points of emphasis should be to force Syracuse to take and make three-pointers. The Orange are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country (310th in 3pt%) and, in turn, they take them infrequently.
O’Shae Brissett is their best three-point shooter (34.5%), but he is more of a slasher. Tyus Battle and Frank Howard have made the most perimeter shots, but they are often forced to create difficult shots at end of clock situations. The other four rotation players have combined to make 2 three-pointers.
When a team has this few capable shooters you need to force them to settle for jumpers. Syracuse is at their best when they get to the free throw line so it is important to keep them out of the lane. Arizona State can compensate for its poor defensive ability with a sound strategy and attention to detail from the players.