Syracuse Basketball: Key takeaways from crushing loss to Oklahoma State

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 20: Elijah Hughes #33 of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a made three-point basket as teammate Buddy Boeheim #35 gestures against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 20, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /

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SYRACUSE, NY – NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Carrier Dome on November 6, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /

2. A game of free throws for the Orange

Syracuse shot 37 free throws on the night. That’s pretty huge. On what was a disappointing shooting night from the field for the Orange, getting to the charity strike felt quite automatic. Now, the Orange have struggled of late with their free throw shooting. Last night they knocked down 26-of-37 (70.3%) which isn’t too bad. Overall though, it’s good to see this Orange side getting to the line often. Free throws are obviously a huge part of the game, and if they can get to the line like this against the Duke’s of the world then they’ll always be in with a fighting chance – it’s just making sure that they practice them accordingly.

For free throws to be the difference-maker, though, every other part of the offensive game has got to be successful too, and we didn’t see that with ‘Cuse against the Cowboys. Even though they shot a big number from the line, the Orange still managed to attempt 56 field-goal tries on the night, shooting just 8-31 from beyond the arc. With the likes of Hughes, Boeheim and Joseph Girard III, you’re always going to be generating a high total of three-point attempts, but when you’re as successful as the Orange were in terms of getting to the line, last night, then why not feed the post more.

Syracuse has talent like Quincy Guerrier, Bourama Sidibe and Marek Dolezaj in the frontcourt. It’s just a matter of knowing when there’s a far better chance of getting points going to these guys than knocking down a contested shot from far out.

All things considered, the Orange showed that they’ve got a tough group of players. It’s always going to be hard balancing their outside and inside game when they have plenty of players to go to in both areas. It would be good to see the Orange take a higher percentage of opportunities from inside the paint, and from the wings though.

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