NEW YORK – Tyler Lydon’s most recent lackluster shooting performance, against Connecticut, was almost déjà vu from a season ago.

Then, he seemed hesitant to shoot despite proving he could. Then, he was coming off the bench and not considered a primary scorer while sharing the floor with Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson. Now, he’s one of the focal points of Syracuse’s offense, still hesitant, still searching for the right play to make and when.

“I gotta be more aggressive, there’s no doubt about that,” Lydon said. “I need to take more shots, but at the end of the day I try and make the right plays and some of the times I thought I could get a better look for another guy on the court and try and get them a better shot than what I had. And it just wasn’t that way.”

In Syracuse’s (5-3) 52-50 loss to Connecticut (4-4) at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, Lydon went 1-of-7 from the field and 1-of-4 from deep. With Syracuse trailing by two late in the game, Lydon missed a wide open 3 from the top of the key after nailing his only make from the same spot earlier in the half. His four free throws accounted for more than half of his seven points, and Jim Boeheim felt that Lydon passed up 10 shots, as his star sophomore extended a slump that carries a 7-for-25 mark from the field over the past three games.

“I’d like him to shoot 17 shots and if he only makes two or three of them, that’s fine,” Boeheim said. “He’s gotta take those shots. I don’t think he’s quite ready to do that for whatever reason. He’s been told to take them. We want him to take them.”

To diversify his game, Lydon has needed to add the ability to create his own shot by putting the ball on the floor. He did that Monday night, often passing up a 3-pointer by pump-faking and dribbling toward the rim in search of a more desirable shot, even if it wasn’t his to take.

The first two times Lydon attacked the hoop, he drew a foul and made both foul shots each time. But on a drive later in the game, Lydon lost control of the ball on his way to the bucket before regaining control, missing a turnaround floater and committing a push-off foul on the ensuing possession.

“I just gotta be aggressive in general and just play my game. And I’m not really doing that right now, so I just gotta get back on track,” Lydon said. “My shot feels good, it’s just they’re not falling right now. That’s basketball. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it again.”

The one time Lydon was able to put the ball in the hoop was a crucial one in the moment, stretching Syracuse’s lead back to 10 with 11:41 left in the game right after a Rodney Purvis bucket cut it to seven. But like two Saturdays ago in a loss to South Carolina, when Lydon went on a 6-0 run by himself with more than 16 minutes left in the game, what could’ve sparked a strong finish gave way to a disappointing end.

Since remaining stuck on 18 points for the final 16:19 in SU’s first loss, the sophomore has been mired in a funk. He’s made only one 3-pointer each against Wisconsin, North Florida and now Connecticut, averaging a mere 7.3 points over that span.

Last season, Syracuse could afford to have a lackluster Lydon, with three more proven scorers on the floor with him. This year, with an offense in a state of despair, that’s not the case.

“This year, he’s in a new role and new expectations. Obviously everybody wants perfection from Tyler right now, he’s still kinda figuring things out with all the new personnel we have,” fifth-year senior Andrew White said. “…We need to instill more confidence in him and make sure he’s taking those shots.”

Published on December 5, 2016 at 11:24 pm

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