Syracuse vs. UConn: Key storylines to watch in the 2K Classic matchup

SYRACUSE, NY - NOVEMBER 10: Tyus Battle #25 of the Syracuse Orange shoots the ball during the second half against the Morehead State Eagles at the Carrier Dome on November 10, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeats Morehead State 84-70. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

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SYRACUSE, NY – OCTOBER 25: Buddy Boeheim #35 of the Syracuse Orange shoots the ball. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /

1. Can Syracuse hit the three?

Syracuse, as alluded to in the introduction, is expected to be a vastly improved team this season compared to last. With plenty of offensive firepower and an elite zone defense, the Orange only have one true limitation when it comes to reaching their ceiling this season: 3-point shooting. A year ago, Syracuse was one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the nation to receive an at-large bid at 31.8%.

And while they can obviously still compete near the top of the nation without consistent perimeter shooting, improving in that facet of the game is the next step for this group. Thankfully, Coach Boeheim seemingly added some high-quality shooters this offseason. Most notably, incoming freshmen Buddy Boeheim (yes, the coach’s son) and Jalen Carey project as strong shooters at the college level.

During their respective 2017 AAU circuits, Boeheim shot 43-for-89 (48.3%) from three for City Rocks while Carey splashed home 52 of his 120 (43.3%) 3-point attempts for Playaz Club. These two are expected to step in and play plenty of minutes right away for Syracuse this season and their perimeter shooting is a major reason why.

However, despite these additions, Syracuse as a team shot just 6-for-33 (18.2%) combined from beyond the arc in their first two games this season. Still, two games is an incredibly small sample size to draw any conclusions from and hopefully the team figures out their stroke from distance.

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