Syracuse Basketball: 3 keys for the Orange against Georgetown

2. Find Frank Howard’s mojo

One player set for a solid senior season before it began was senior point guard Frank Howard. Howard missed the team’s first four games of the season and it’s certainly hurt their offense.

As a team, Syracuse ranks 238th in the nation, averaging 71.9 points per game on offense. Tyus Battle leads all scorers with 17.0 points per game and Oshae Brissett and Elijah Hughes are right behind him with 16.0 points per game and 14.1 points per game but after them, there’s a huge falloff in production.

Freshman Jalen Carey is averaging 7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20.5 minutes per game, but without Howard, the Orange are certainly missing a beat on offense.

Howard is only producing 4.0 points and 4.0 assists per contest through four appearances. In his best game of the season, Howard put up eight points against the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road, but he also fouled out of that one.

He’s managed to distribute the ball like he used to, but his offense is still coming along. He’s shooting 24 percent from the field and 19 percent from 3-point range as he works his way back into the lineup. He’ll be up against solid guard play with freshman James Akinjo leading the way on the opposite side, so playing well here will be key for Syracuse’ success.