Syracuse Basketball: 3 takeaways for Orange from blowout loss to Virginia

Need Shot Selection Improvements

At this point, we know Syracuse loves to let it fly from deep. Calling for the Orange to halt their offensive mindset feels somewhat ignorant considering how it helped them win multiple games this year. However, the in-play strategy most definitely requires some revision.

During their victory of Virginia Tech, the team hammered their opponents both inside the paint and from deep. They neglected to take low-percentage mid-range jumpers as well, with only 5 field goal attempts in-between the paint and three-point line.

Against the Cavaliers though, things shifted for the worse, as the Orange took 13 mid-range shots. Alongside this, whenever the Orange let it fly from deep, they did so often from incredibly low percentage areas, continuing to rise up to shoot from several feet behind the three-point arc.

Shot selection like this immediately lowers any team’s winning odds, and coach Boeheim likely knows this. Expect him to make it a strong point of emphasis heading into the team’s next game against NC State.